


A New Start

by Danamosaurus



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23833237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danamosaurus/pseuds/Danamosaurus
Summary: As the younger sister of Iwaizumi Hajime, you know Oikawa Tooru well. Ever since you were kids, the three of you have been close friends. However, being close with Kitagawa Daiichi's local heartthrob Oikawa makes it difficult for you to fit in with your peers, and in order to spread your wings, you choose to attend Karasuno High School. There, you meet Nishinoya Yuu, the complete opposite of Oikawa who immediately befriends you. Your world is changing, and with it, so are you.
Relationships: Nishinoya Yuu/Reader, Oikawa Tooru/Reader
Comments: 77
Kudos: 201
Collections: oc self insertSI





	1. Chapter 1

You place the last of your clothes in the hamper inside your closet before closing it and letting out a sigh. Turning to your room, finally clean, you put your hands on your hips and smile. That’s one more thing off your checklist. All that’s left is editing your history paper and studying some English terms. You open your laptop, but as you sit down to work, there’s a knock at your open door.

You swivel the chair to see your brother, Iwaizumi Hajime, in the doorway. Smiling a bit in greeting, you say, “Hey, nii-san, what’s up?” You pull your legs up into your seat, crossing them. Iwaizumi walks in, holding what looked to be a packet he had pulled from the mail. You recognize the kanji on the packet immediately and gulp. You had expected it to come, but had hoped your brother wouldn’t see it. You try to read his expression, but Iwaizumi doesn’t seem perturbed.

“This came in the mail.” He hands it to you as you sink into your chair. “You didn’t tell me you applied to Karasuno. I thought you were already accepted into Aoba Johsai.” He sits on your bed, and you wince as your perfectly fitted sheets wrinkle around him.

You look down at the packet sheepishly. “Yeah, I was, it’s just….” Your brother looks at you, no trace of judgement in his eyes. You take a breath. “It’s just, I’ve been following you and Oikawa-san around since childhood, and….” Meeting Iwaizumi’s gaze, you see that he already understands. You relax a bit, but are still nervous to hear his response.

“Yeah, I get it. That guy has a tendency to get everyone else caught up in his rhythm.” He leans back a bit. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“I dunno…” you mutter, tracing the fold of the packet. “I guess I was worried you would try to change my mind. And even if you didn’t, Oikawa-san would.” You curl your legs onto your chair, wrapping them in your arms and resting your chin on your knees.

“Yeah, you’re right about that, I suppose. We’ve been a trio since primary school, and that guy’s gotten pretty attached to us.” You recall trying to receive your brother’s spikes that Oikawa had set up for him. You had actually gotten quite good at it, but you never joined Kitagawa Daiichi’s girls volleyball team. In fact, you didn’t interact with many girls at all until your third year of middle school. Even then, it was sparse. Many of them were jealous of the attention you got from Oikawa, though it was only because your older brother was his best friend. Some of them took it too far, writing cruel things on your desk and gossiping. Once you had even opened your shoe locker to find your shoes dripping and smelling of cat pee. That was a bad day. “So? Were you accepted?” Iwaizumi’s voice snaps you back to reality.

Bringing your legs back down, you hastily open the packet, ripping a part of it, and pull out the papers inside. Quickly skimming them, a grin appears on your face. Looking at your brother, you give him a thumbs up. He smiles back, standing up and ruffling your hair.

“Congrats, (y/n). Of course, there was no chance you’d get rejected.” You swat his hand away, laughing.

As your giggles die down, you hesitantly say, “Oh, uh, nii-san, about Oikawa-san….”

“Yeah, yeah, I won’t tell him. But he’s gonna find out eventually, so you should really tell him yourself.” He puts his hands in his pockets. “Anyway, dinner will be ready soon. We’re having hamburgers.”

Your eyes light up, and you spin your chair in circles. “Hamburgers!” Iwaizumi raises his eyebrows with a small smile, amused, and heads out. Once he’s gone, you stop spinning. Giving a thought to the tantrum Oikawa will throw when he hears the news, you lean back and let out a sigh.

The following Saturday, you curl up on your bed with a book after finishing up some homework. You hear some ruckus downstairs, but you decide to ignore it. You’ve been busy lately since finals are approaching, and this is your first reprieve in a while. You try to focus your attention on your book, blocking out the voices that seem to be getting closer.

Suddenly, your door swings open and you jump, dropping your book on your lap and losing your page. You look down at it sorrowfully before turning your attention to the man in your doorway with a sad frown.

“(y/n)-chaaaan!” the familiar voice rings out.

Iwaizumi appears behind him and smacks the back of his head, harder than usual, causing his glasses to fall off. “Hey, dumbass, don’t go barging into a girl’s room without knocking!”

“I’m sorry, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa holds the back of his head, looking like a wounded puppy.

“Apologize to (y/n), not me!”

He leans over to pick up his glasses, pouting a bit. “Sorry, (y/n)-chan….”

If only his fangirls could see this side of him. You wonder how many of them would still fawn over him if they knew what a child he is. Still, you’re used to it. “Yeah, well, it’s not like I have anything to hide, so I guess I don’t mind.”

Iwaizumi gives Oikawa a hard glare that seems to say “If you ever walk in on my sister changing, they will never find your body,” and Oikawa takes the hint. Not that it really matters, you think, since Oikawa never saw you as a girl anyway. You smothered your crush years ago after realizing that.

Wait a minute.

You glance at your desk, the Karasuno acceptance letter still sitting on it.

You totally have something to hide.

Hopping off of your bed, doing your best to keep a straight face, you push the two outside your room. “So, uh, what are we doing today?” You hadn’t initially planned on indulging Oikawa’s antics, but it seems to be the best way to get him out of your room quickly.

“A new ice cream parlor opened up, did you hear? I’ve been dying to try it!” Oikawa exclaims, letting himself be pushed along. You had heard about the new parlor, but probably wouldn’t have gone if not for Oikawa. You and your brother are used to being dragged along on his whims, though, so it wasn’t really a bother to go.

“Oh yeah?” You raise a brow. “Your treat?”

He fusses a bit before relenting to your demands, and you excuse yourself to change your clothes. When you close the door to your room behind you, you quickly shove the letter into a drawer before picking out a blouse and skirt fitting for the warm weather. You also run a quick brush through your hair, but don’t style it for sake of time. Grabbing your bag, you head out to the living room where the two are quietly waiting around. Oikawa’s gaze seems to be a bit distant, but once he notices you, he grins, and Iwaizumi stands up to go.

The three of you venture out into town, catching a bus that takes you just a couple blocks down from the parlor. As per usual, Oikawa attracts a lot of attention from girls walking by. Some of them also eye Iwaizumi, but you merely blend into the background where you eat your ice cream in peace. You listen as the two discuss their upcoming practice match and some of the notable players on it.

“Oh, right,” Iwaizumi says. “Did you want to come watch our game?”

It takes you a second to realize the question was directed at you. Oikawa looks at you expectantly, not bothering to hide his hope.

“Yeah, sure. Gotta support my boys!” You slap Iwaizumi’s back encouragingly, sending him stumbling forward a few steps. Oikawa snickers while Iwaizumi just rubs his back.

You smile and look up at the cool March sky. Spring is quickly settling in, and soon you’d start your new term at Karasuno. The thought is refreshing, and fills you with excitement for what’s to come; but maybe that’s just the weather improving your mood.

After a few more blocks, Oikawa asks to rest at a bench. “Iwa-chan, I’m thirsty. Would you mind grabbing me a drink?” Iwaizumi begins to tell him to do it himself, but after taking a look at his face, he merely nods. He asks what you want, then leaves to get it.

You wonder for a moment why Iwaizumi was compliant. Normally, he’d at least demand a courier’s fee, but he didn’t even ask Oikawa for the drink money. You watch him go, and he sends a single look back at the two of you standing next to each other, before rounding a corner. As he leaves, you can feel the warmth of the atmosphere vanish with him.

There’s a brief spell of silence before Oikawa icily asks, “So, (y/n)-chan, when were you planning to mention that you’re going to Karasuno?” Your blood runs cold and you slowly look over to him. His face is calm and serious for the first time today.

Damn him and his ability to read glances. He must have seen the letter the second you let your eyes wander to it. Sending Iwaizumi off was probably part of his plan, too, so that you wouldn’t be able to use him as a shield. Worse, Iwaizumi likely knew that’s what he was doing.

“Uhhh… eventually?”

He gives you a sad look as you try to avoid eye contact. “We’ve been going to school together for so long. Can you at least tell me why?”

You hesitate. “You won’t like the answer.”

“Try me,” he replies, sitting on a bench behind you. He looks at you as you eye the bench. “Well, come on then.” You’re not sure if he’s asking you to respond or sit down, so you quietly do the latter. When your silence persists, he tries guessing. “Do they have a club you want to join?” You give him no answer. “Did your parents want you to go there?” No answer. “Is a guy you like going there?” Still, no answer. You can appreciate the irony from his last question, though, as he’s the only guy you’ve ever liked.

“Is it… because of me?” You still don’t respond, but your expression tells Oikawa all he needs to know. He looks away, eyes clouded. “...I see.”

You quickly turn to face him, the guilt gripping your gut like a claw. “I-It’s not that simple! You didn’t do anything wrong or anything, it’s just….” His eyes are trained on you, even as his body is shifted uncomfortably in the other direction. “It’s just, constantly being with you and nii-san makes it incredibly difficult to be my own person. This is my third year at Kitagawa Daiichi, the first year that you guys haven’t constantly been with me since primary school.” It’s the first time other girls haven’t hazed you for having Oikawa’s attention, but you can’t say that. If he learns he was the reason you were bullied, he would try to interfere, which would only make matters worse. Instead, you say, “For the first time ever, I’m getting to talk to other people in my year and have my own experiences.”

Oikawa is quiet for a while. You have nothing of merit left to say, and he seems to be deep in thought, so you put your hands in your lap and look anywhere but at him. You don’t notice how white your knuckles are, but Oikawa does. He knows you probably put a lot of thought into this decision, and, if he was honest, he understands why you were hesitant to tell him, but he can’t help being a little angry. He’s always thought you would tell him everything. Maybe he should have waited for you to say something yourself, but who knows when that would have been?

Even so, he thinks, taking another look at you, I don’t really have a right to be upset. It’s her choice, after all.

“Look,” Oikawa says, making you jump a bit. “I’m not gonna be upset because you chose a different school.” That’s a bit of a lie, but he continues: “I’m just a little hurt you didn’t tell me. And that you haven’t told me about all these friends you’ve been making.” He smiles as genuinely as he can manage, and your tense shoulders relax a bit. “No hard feelings?”

Saying you’ve been making friends is an overstatement, but you don’t mention that. You smile a bit, letting out a small sigh of relief. “Yeah. No hard feelings.”

Oikawa glances up to see Iwaizumi returning with three drinks in hand. “Ah, Iwa-chan, I asked for a Pepsi, not a Coke!”

“Yeah, and I asked my parents for an iguana, not a chameleon, so shut the hell up and take it.” You quickly begin to relax as the two bicker, feeling as though things are returning to normal.

“Oh, come on, Nii-san, you know you love Mr. Melon!” You stand up and straighten out your skirt. Your brother hands you your drink, and the three of you make your way to the bus stop.

As the three of you wait for the bus making idle conversation, you feel a weight being taken off your shoulders. Oikawa took it much better than you had expected, and you begin to wonder why you were so worried in the first place. You’re finally able to look forward to your high school debut without worries.

The bus rolls to a stop in front of you and swings open its doors. You lead the way up the steps, glancing back as the other two follow. You situate yourselves towards the back of the bus, Oikawa standing next to the seats you and Iwaizumi sit in.

“Oh yeah, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa says, sometime during the ride. “Did you want to see that movie that’s coming out next weekend? Coraline?”

“That Tim Burton movie? I dunno, man, it looks a little weird.” Iwaizumi turns his head to you. “Didn’t you say you wanted to see that, (y/n)?”

He’s right, but when you go to say so, Oikawa interrupts you. “Ah, (y/n)-chan said she was busy with friends that weekend.” You blink, somewhat blindsided by his statement. You had said no such thing. “You know, Iwa-chan, I’m starting to think (y/n)-chan likes her other friends more than us.” He puts on his puppy dog eyes while Iwaizumi raises his brows and looks at you.

“Oh? Sorry, I didn’t realize you had plans.” Thankfully, your brother ignores Oikawa’s last statement.

You force a laugh and say, “Oh, well yeah, I guess I had nearly forgotten about that.” You meet Oikawa’s eyes, confused and a tad hurt, but his expression holds no answers for you.

Until you get off the bus, you do your best to keep up a cheerful exterior. As you step off behind the two boys, you say, “Well, thanks for the ice cream, but I just remembered I promised my friend I’d call him tonight, so I’ll go ahead.” As you say it, you give Oikawa a deliberate look, which seems to get under his skin.

You make your way back to your house at a quick pace without saying goodbye. Iwaizumi is left a bit stunned, thrown off by your sudden change in behavior. Oikawa just looks cooly after you, frustration beginning to well up under his stoic facade.

“Okay,” Iwaizumi finally says, “what the hell happened between the two of you?”

Swinging the door to your room open, you fall on your bed, emotionally exhausted. You pull out your phone and scroll through your contacts. “Promised my friend I’d call him… yeah right, like I have any other friends to talk to.” You toss your phone on your desk and bury your face in a pillow. What a trainwreck of a day.

Maybe you should call Tobio-kun, you muse. That’ll piss Oikawa off for sure. But your awkward kouhai probably wouldn’t be able to hold up his end of a phone call, and you really don’t know him that well. Besides, you don’t exactly want to irritate Oikawa any more, but it’s hard to resist the temptation when he’s antagonizing you so much. You sigh.

Hopefully Oikawa’s hissy fit won’t last too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I've posted fanfiction! This has been a lot of fun to write, so I hope you guys enjoy this.


	2. Chapter 2

Today is the fateful day. It’s the day you don your new uniform for your first day at Karasuno High. You pull the uniform, freshly ironed, out of your closet, intensely focused on how you’ll make this day a great one. You’ll be outgoing, you tell yourself, pulling on your skirt; you’ll look into clubs and try to memorize the names of everyone in your class. You pop your head through the shirt with a somewhat forced grin. Today is going to be a great day.

As you begin to tie the bow tie, there’s a knock at your door.

“Come in,” you say, expecting one of your parents. Instead, Iwaizumi opens the door. “Oh, hey, nii-san. Ready to be a second year?” you ask. “I bet you’re excited to meet the first years joining the team.” He merely nods in response, quieter than usual. You pick up the jacket of the uniform and drape it over one arm. “What’s wrong?”

He scratches the back of his head. “Well, there’s nothing wrong, per se….” He was never one for beating around the bush, so he sighs and says, “I just want to make sure you’re doing okay. That Shittykawa has been pretty shitty lately, and I know it’s bothering you, even if you don’t show it.”

You’re surprised he’s choosing today of all days to finally address the elephant in the room. He’s right; ever since Oikawa learned you’re attending Karasuno, he’s been rather passive aggressive towards you. The three of you would still hang out, but only if Iwaizumi invited you to come along. If you went to his scrimmages, he’d treat you like one of his many fangirls rather than his childhood friend. Even the upperclassmen seemed to notice the change.

You sit on your bed, letting out a long, irritated sigh. “Seriously, he’s such a child. Being upset is one thing, but this is too much.” Iwaizumi sits on your bed next to you. “But don’t worry, nii-san. Oikawa-san has always been immature, so I guess you could say I’m used to it? That said, this is the first time he’s been so cruel to me.” Your last sentence really put his behavior in perspective. “Ugh, seriously, what is that guy’s deal? If he’s gonna be angry with me, I wish he would just be angry like a normal person.”

Leaning back, Iwaizumi sighs, “He’s never been a normal person, that guy. I’ve tried talking to him, but he maintains that he’s not upset. What a load of bull.”

“Well….” You bounce yourself off the bed. “I appreciate the concern, but I’ll be okay. Starting today, I’m a new woman! I’m gonna make so many friends and show that stupid Oikawa that I don’t need him!” You throw on your jacket.

Iwaizumi just smiles and nods. “Good luck, then.”

After a long and boring entrance ceremony, you finally get to go to your homeroom class. You stand in front of classroom 1-C and peak in to see your new classmates. Your teacher is an older man, likely in his mid-sixties, with glasses and a large nose. His receding hair was a dark brown, and his eyes seemed rather kind, but maybe that was the forced optimism talking.

Students file in and choose a seat wherever they like. You choose one of the last empty spots next to a boy who’s sitting with his feet on the desk and his hands in his pockets, who gives you a grin. The bell rings, and the class begins with introductions. The teacher introduces himself as Maebara Hatori, or just Maebara-sensei. He then begins to read out names so everyone can share a bit about themselves with the class: their prefered nickname, the middle school they attended, and their favorite hobby.

“Amori Yui,” Maebara-sensei reads off. A girl a few seats behind and to the left of you stands. Your heart breaks a bit when you realize you recognize her.

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you all,” she says, quite formally. “You may call me Amori. I attended Kitagawa Daiicihi Junior High. I enjoy tennis and cross-stitching.” She bows, her long black hair falling forward, and says, “I look forward to working with you all.”

Jeez, this girl hasn’t changed at all. She still constantly talks like she’s at an interview. You’ve never directly interacted with her, but having someone from your middle school be the first you really see is a little disheartening. Besides, you never knew who was behind some of the hazing, making you wary of many of your middle school’s girls.

“Iwaizumi (y/n),” your teacher continues. You realize you missed the second person’s introduction, and you can feel Amori’s eyes on your back as you stand.

“Hey everyone,” you start, initially a little wobbly, “most people I know just call me by my given name, so go ahead and call me (y/n). I also attended Kitagawa Daiichi. I suppose if I had to pick a hobby, it would be playing volleyball with my brother.” You sit back down, suddenly feeling a second gaze focused intently upon you. Looking to your left, you see that the boy that grinned at you is now staring wide-eyed. He’s the type that wears his heart on his sleeve, you surmise; very different from a certain someone else. Giving him a pensive look, he stops gawking and smirks, like he was planning something. Looking at him for a second longer, you turn back to the front of the class and wait for his name to be called, admittedly curious. He seems friendly, and you’re in the market for friends.

About halfway through role call, the name “Nishinoya Yu” leaves your teacher’s lips. With a bit of clattering, the boy next to you stands up.

“Hey, nice to meet ya,” he says to the whole class. “You guys can call me Nishinoya, or just Noya. I’m from Chidoriyama Junior High, and,” his eyes drift to you for a second, “I play volleyball.” He sits down, looking like he expects you to be impressed. You can’t help but let out a small laugh, which you cover as a cough. Well, it’s certainly easier to make friends when you have a common interest.

Then something occurs to you. Chidoriyama? A guy this small playing volleyball? You steal another glance. His hair is pure black now, but you remember a libero from Chidoriyama with a streak of blonde hair at his forehead. Chidoriyama on its own was an impressive team, but the libero was astonishingly skilled, playing a major part in stealing a set from Kitagawa Daiichi. Is that kid really the guy sitting next to you? He could have gone to any powerhouse school, so why would he come to Karasuno?

Role call comes to a close, and since the entrance ceremony took up most of the morning, lunch is just after homeroom. Maebara-sensei gives you a quick rundown of how he’ll be running the class before releasing you to eat and mingle. He’s barely done talking when Nishinoya leans over the aisle between desks to say, “Hey. (y/n)-san, right?”

You nod. “And you’re Noya-san?” The grin that seems to be glued to his face grows. “By any chance, are you the libero from Chidoriyama?”

His small body seems to swell with pride. “As a matter of fact, I am! You’ve heard of me?”

You laugh. “Wanna grab food? I didn’t bring a bento so I gotta go buy something.”

“Sounds good, I didn’t either.” He grabs his bag and stands up, and you realize he’s just a smidge taller than you. You mentally sigh. Iwaizumi got your father’s height, you got your mother’s. “So, were you on your school’s volleyball team?”

You shake your head. “No, but my brother was a spiker on the boys’ team, and his best friend was the setter, so I spent a lot of time receiving.”

“Ha! You’re talking to the right guy about receiving.”

The two of you continue to talk about volleyball as you buy food. Nishinoya is astounded when he finds out you practice with Oikawa Toru, the setter that led Kitagawa Daiichi to victory against Chidoriyama. You purchase some milk bread in addition to your other food and put it in your bag. You can’t help but brag about your brother’s skill as well, but Nishinoya only takes it as a challenge, claiming he’d make sure Karasuno beats Seijoh at the Interhigh preliminaries. You walk back to your classroom, food in hand, going back and forth on who’d win; it’s an interesting conversation, given that Nishinoya hasn’t yet met his teammates.

As you taunt him, you hear footsteps approach from behind. “Wow, go figure. (y/n)-san goes to a school away from Oikawa and still flirts with the first boy she meets.”

You freeze before scrunching your brow. Nishinoya turns to look back at the girl who stopped you, but you don’t have to look to know who it is.

“Huh? Flirting? The hell are you talking about?” Nishinoya says, tasting a challenge.

“Hm? You didn’t know?” You felt her hands grasp your shoulders, daring you to react. “Little (y/n)-san here was our school slut, always hanging around a bunch of guys. Her thirst for attention was never quite quenched.” She then whispers into your ear, still loud enough for Nishinoya to hear, “Isn’t that right, (y/n)-san?”

Doing your best to keep a calm exterior, you simply look to Nishinoya. “Noya-san, you can head on back to class without me.” His jaw is clenched and his brows furrowed, but before he can say anything you add, “I’ll be right behind you in a sec, don’t worry.”

Throwing another look the other girl’s way, he just mutters, “Okay,” then walks off, fighting the urge to look back more than once or twice.

You wait until he’s gone before finally asking, “So, where are your lackeys, Reina? Did you pawn them off for pocket change?”

“Oh, those two?” She releases your shoulders as you turn to face her. She tosses her hands in the air, shrugging. Her curly brown hair falls to one side as she responds, “Please, they were barely worth pocket lint, let alone change. They made decent grunts, I suppose, but those rich kids bought their way into Shiratorizawa.” That sounds about right. Her two followers, whose names you can’t be bothered to remember, certainly weren’t smart enough to make it into Kitagawa Daiichi, let alone Shiratorizawa, without mommy and daddy’s money.

“And I guess I’m stuck here with you, then,” you sigh.

“Hey, you think I’m happy about this? I thought I was finally free of your pathetic face, but instead of just following your brother and Oikawa-senpai like a good little pup, you end up here.” She puts her hands on her hips and sighs, disgusted.

“Well, you approached me,” you retort, leaning your weight onto one leg. People that pass by the two of you give you weird looks but continue on their business.

“Hmm, yeah, you’re right.” Her tinted chapstick glistens and her long eyelashes blink over light brown eyes. You can’t help but be jealous of her beauty, but you take solace in knowing she’s far uglier on the inside. “Well, this is a bit out of character for me, but I wanted to apologize.”

“Yeah, yeah, you - wait, what?” Her words catch you off guard. She’s right, this is extremely out of character for her.

Reina clicks her tongue, then says, “Don’t get me wrong. I really don’t like you. But it turns out those little shits” - you assume she means her lackeys - “were in fact the ones trashing your desk and shoes.” You had always thought that was obvious, but she had always denied it in junior high. Reina goes on: “I know you probably thought I was the ringleader of that bullshit, but that kind of thing is below me, and yet I let them do all that right under my nose. Hell, they probably thought I’d appreciate it, but, to tell you the truth, I only shit talked you to your face.” Reina runs a hand through her hair. “Dammit. I should have kept a tighter leash on those morons.”

You don’t respond, stunned and at a loss for words. The Nomura Reina is apologizing to you? It’s a pathetic excuse for an apology, sure, but it’s weirdly sincere.

“Anyway, with luck, we won’t have to see each other much, so if you stay out of my way, I’ll stay out of yours.” She looks down at you, her tall frame adding to the condescension.

“That’s an interesting proposition to make right after calling me the school slut,” you point out, still wary.

Reina rolls her eyes. “Come on, I just wanted one last jab. You never were able to take a joke.”

“You know, Reina,” you finally say, “this is the worst olive branch I’ve ever received.” She sneers. “But I’ll accept it.”

She lets out a sardonic chuckle. “Yeah, with a horse as high as yours, how can you not?” Reina turns around to leave. “Well, see you around. Or not.” She begins to walk away, then pauses. “Ah, I suppose to commemorate our cease-fire, I’ll throw you a bone.” You raise a brow. “I saw that that girl Amori-san is in your class. I found out she was harassed pretty frequently as well in junior high.”

“Okay? Why are you telling me this?”

Reina shrugs. “Birds of a feather, or whatever.” Then, without another word, she finally takes her leave.

Nishinoya sits at his desk, gazing out the window and feeling really, really confused. Who was that girl who just popped up out of nowhere and started insulting you so harshly? He only met you today, but wouldn’t anyone be angry if someone who had been so friendly was suddenly getting hazed? Still, you seemed really calm about the whole situation, which means you’re used to it.

Nishinoya is incredibly curious about the entire situation, but as you enter the classroom and sit down at your desk to eat, he’s only able to ask, “Uh, you good?”

You, on the other hand, had forgotten about Nishinoya entirely until you saw him again while entering the classroom. Your mind is still processing your interaction with Reina, but after a moment of thought, you tell him, “It’s a long story, but actually, yeah. I’m good.” Seeing him still look concerned, you add, “I guess to quickly summarize, she doesn’t like me and thinks I hang around my brother’s friends too much. Then, today, she called for what I guess is a truce?” You haven’t exactly buried the hatchet, but you at least feel like you don’t have to worry about her anymore.

You then remember her last words, and look around the classroom. No Amori. Well, you suppose you can worry about that later.

“Anyway, what an exhausting day,” you continue, trying to lighten up the mood.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Nishinoya nods. He feels like he saw a side to you that you didn’t mean to show him, and he’s right; you don’t love that his first impression of you might be that of an easy target for bullies. “But I think you handled it really well.”

You look into his honest eyes, something you never could say the same for Oikawa’s, and feel a small spark in your chest. Are you finally making friends of your own? “Thanks.” You smile, relaxing for the first time since seeing Reina. “I mean it.”

“But next time, don’t send me off!” he whines. “If a cute girl is in trouble, I can’t help but want to lend a hand.”

You stare at him for a moment as you feel your face heat up. His words take you by surprise. “I-I need to use the bathroom!” You stand straight up and quickly stride out of the room, not looking back.

The hall has mostly emptied of people as the lunch period is reaching its end, so there’s no one to see your bright red face as you march into the bathroom. Seeing your reflection in the mirror, you put your hands on the sink and squat into a ball. You’ve never been called cute so casually before. Oikawa had called you his “cute little kouhai” but it always felt like he was teasing, and Iwaizumi insisted you’re cute, but you only ever took it as brotherly support. You bury your face into your knees. Luckily, no one else was in the bathroom to witness your pathetic display of embarrassment.

Or so you think.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see the shoes and bag of someone in the stall. The bag has a keychain of the rabbit from LINE. You hear the quiet chewing of food from the stall; is she eating her lunch in there?

You decide to leave her be; during weeks that the volleyball team was gone for tournaments, you would eat in the storeroom alone. If anyone had found you or tried to talk to you, you’d be mortified, so you feel you can empathize with her. After splashing some water on your face, you head back to the classroom, determined not to be thrown off by his words again.

Sitting back down, you feel Nishinoya’s eyes on you. “You know, (y/n)-san,” he says, a poorly hidden smirk on his face, “you’re pretty cute when you blush.” You can feel the blood rushing to your face again.

This is going to be a long year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't figure out indents help


	3. Chapter 3

Iwaizumi Hajime watches with steady eyes as Oikawa practices his serve against Watari Shinji, a new first year after the libero starting position. It’s getting late, and practice will be wrapping up soon. Normally, you would come by Seijoh after class to watch their practice, but you’ve yet to arrive.

Iwaizumi knows that since this is the first day of the school, you’re probably just a little held up, not to mention Karasuno is further from Seijoh than Kitagawa Daiichi. He sighs, picking up a volleyball and looking at Oikawa. Well, I wouldn’t blame her if she doesn’t come at all, Iwaizumi thinks. Oikawa seems to be growing more agitated as time passes, and while the other members on the team have to wonder what crawled into his pants and chomped, Iwaizumi can tell he’s just crabby that you haven’t shown yet. He stopped caring about Oikawa’s weird attitude towards you a while ago, but the effect it was having on practice is starting to piss him off.

Luckily, the coach is finally catching on. “Oikawa, take a break!” he yells. Oikawa looks at him, surprised. “Clear your head, kid.”

Oikawa just smiles and says flippantly, waving his hand, “I’m fine, coach! No need to worry-”

“Oikawa.” Coach Irihata glowers, not in any mood to deal with Oikawa. Oikawa flinches and passes the ball to his teammate, Hanamaki, before retreating from the court. Irihata sends a look to Iwaizumi and jerks his head towards Oikawa, gesturing for your brother to deal with the annoying setter. Iwaizumi clicks his tongue, not pleased to be stuck babysitting.

Oikawa picks up a water bottle and leans against the wall with a sigh, sliding down until he’s sitting. Iwaizumi stands over him, irritated, then sits next to him. There’s a moment of mutual silence. Oikawa takes a long drink from his water bottle.

“You know,” Iwaizumi finally mutters, “if you keep this up, she’s gonna hate you.”

Oikawa looks away with a sneer. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Iwaizumi stares at him, asking himself why he has to deal with such a nuisance. “So she went to Karasuno. So what? She’s still your friend.”

Oikawa casts his gaze downward. “She’s got other friends she’d rather be with.” This is the first Iwaizumi has heard of it. He can’t recall a time you’ve brought a friend over or said you were going to hang with someone. Hell, he never even saw you talking to others at school back at Kitagawa Daiichi. You had always brushed him off when he asked, so he took the hint and stopped asking.

“If you’re really that jealous, why are you so adamantly ignoring her? Seriously, how immature are you?”

“I-I’m not jealous!” He blinks rapidly, caught off guard. Crossing his arms, he retorts, “Why would I be interested in a girl like that?”

Iwaizumi is taken aback. He stares at Oikawa for a moment, mouth agape, before finally finding the words to respond. “Wow, okay, there’s a lot to unpack there. First of all, I didn’t say you were interested in her. Second, if you are, we’re gonna need to have a serious talk. Third, what are you trying to say by calling my sister ‘a girl like that’?” Oikawa quickly realizes the grave he’s dug himself, knowing a wrong answer would make him a dead man, but as he’s gathering his thoughts to respond, the door opens. “We’ll talk about this later.”

“Sorry for the intrusion,” you say, taking your shoes off before you enter. Glancing at the wall the two boys are sitting against, you tease, “I see you two are working hard.”

Iwaizumi stands first, Oikawa following after a moment of hesitation. He smiles pleasantly, but doesn’t keep eye contact for more than a second or two. You notice, but try not to let it get to you.

You had taken your time walking to Aoba Johsai. Nishinoya didn’t stick around long, since he had volleyball practice, so the two of you went your separate ways shortly after class. He seemed excited to meet his new teammates, so you wished him luck and went on your way. You mozied along, in no rush. In fact, it wouldn’t be entirely inaccurate to say you were putting off your arrival.

Dragging your feet, you take your time memorizing the path to and from school, looking at the map app open on your phone. You stop at a shop or two for snacks, wondering if you should even bother going to Seijoh. You considered going home, but something told you if you didn’t keep trying to make amends with Oikawa, nothing would ever be resolved. So, you shoved down the pride that has been bubbling up since your quarrel began, and here you are now, coming to their practice as though everything is normal.

You give a small wave to the coach, who, knowing you from the previous year, gives you a nod. Some of the second and third years greet you as well, while the first years just watch, curious.

“How was your first day?” Iwaizumi asks. Oikawa’s ears perk up a bit.

“Not bad,” you reply, brushing your hair back. “The instructors seem reasonable, and I think I’m making a friend. Turns out he plays volleyball too!” You grin and turn the conversation towards your brother, who doesn’t miss that your new friend is a he. “How was yours?”

Iwaizumi smiles a bit when you say you’re making a friend before dropping it to complain. “I got stuck with Oikawa of all people in my class. Seriously, I can’t escape this dumbass.”

Oikawa pouts. “But Iwa-chan, you chose to sit next to me.”

“Yeah, I took the bullet so some other poor sap wouldn’t have to.” Oikawa whines in response. “Anyway, we have to get back to practice. You can give me more details on the walk home.”

“Okay!” You go to the wall where you place your bag and sit down. Normally you’d do your homework, but you’ve yet to be assigned any, so you just watch the boys practice. You wonder how practice is going for Nishinoya and if he’s getting along with his new team. You watch their new libero, whose name you heard to be Shinji, and wonder how he compares to your new friend. Supposedly, Nishinoya is a genius libero, and he was admittedly skilled in the game you saw him play in middle school, but it’s been a couple years since then.

Thinking back, you remember the blonde streak he used to have. You can’t help but think he should re-dye it blonde. It was kinda cute.

You smile a little to yourself. You’ve never really had the chance to think about boys like that, since it felt weird to consider your brother’s friends as love interests. The exception, of course, was Oikawa, but you closed the book on that crush a long time ago.

It’s not that you have a crush on Nishinoya. It’s too early for that. However, you like him, and can’t help but look forward to seeing him tomorrow. You’ve never realized how nice it is to have a friend in class. What kind of things do friends even do? You imagine it’s similar to the outings you had and games you played with Iwaizumi and Oikawa, but the dynamic is probably different. You were invited to hang out with Iwaizumi’s friends because you’re his sister, but hanging out with a friend of your own feels more earned.You have the knowledge that they’re hanging out with you because they like you as a person, not because they like your brother.

But you’re getting ahead of yourself. You’ve talked to Nishinoya for a single day; maybe you’ll like him less the more you get to know him, and maybe he’ll like you less too. Still, you’re just happy that you’re so optimistic about your future at Karasuno. Even if it doesn’t work out with Nishinoya, there are a ton of other people you can befriend!

“(y/n).” You jump as the voice snaps you back to reality. You realize that your brother has called your name a couple times now. “It’s time to go.”

You clammer about, getting yourself up in a less than graceful manner. Hanamaki chuckles a bit, which you decide to ignore.

As you leave the gym, Iwaizumi and Oikawa say their goodbyes to the rest of the team, and you thank them for letting you sit in on practice. You also briefly introduce yourself to the first years, telling them you’d be by often and would be happy to help out where necessary. You trail behind the two boys as you start to make your way home.

“So, (y/n), how are the classrooms at Karasuno?” Iwaizumi asks.

“Hmm, a bit of a downgrade from Kitagawa Daiichi, but I think it gives them a certain charm,” you say after a moment of thought. “My classroom has a really nice view of the field, though.” Iwaizumi nods, and Oikawa stays quiet. “How are your teachers looking?”

“Overall, not bad, but I think our English instructor might be a bit of a tough grader.” Oikawa hums in agreement. You just wish he would respond to you.

Iwaizumi wants to ask about the friend you mentioned, but he also can feel the curiosity radiating off of Oikawa. If this guy wants to know, he can ask her himself. I can always ask when he’s not around.

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” you say. Then, after a pause, you ask, “How was your first day, Oikawa-san?”

Iwaizumi lets his eyes drift to Oikawa. You’re walking behind them and can’t see either’s expression, but Oikawa’s face is strained, and you can tell from the slight hiccup in his walk that he’s uncomfortable. Well, too bad, you think. I’ve been uncomfortable for the last couple of weeks because you’ve been giving me the cold shoulder.

Still, you have to give him credit for his act. “Ah, it was okay, but that English teacher really gave me the stink eye. Day one and I’ve already been singled out.”

“Well, maybe if you hadn’t been late after lunch,” Iwaizumi grumbles.

Oikawa tosses his hands in the air. “It’s not my fault those girls held me up. I’m just too popular.”

“The world’s tiniest violin is playing just for you,” Iwaizumi responds curtly, rolling his eyes and earning a small laugh from you. “Oh, (y/n), I’m cooking tonight, so what do you want to eat?”

“Hmm, maybe pasta?”

The three of you make small talk, Oikawa only responding to you when you ask him direct questions. You’re really getting tired of being the only one trying, but you don’t want to lose the friendship you’ve had for so long. Maybe if you had told him yourself that you were going to Karasuno to begin with, this never would have happened. Even so, his reaction is hardly fair.

Maybe he just needs space. Iwaizumi seems to think it’s better for the three of you to continue being together, but perhaps Oikawa feels like you’re just trying to make him feel better by hanging out. All you can really do is guess, though; you never really know what’s going through his head. You don’t mind the idea of a break either. Oikawa was draining to be around beforehand, and now it’s even worse.

When you arrive at your house, you start to excuse yourself to go to your room. Before you can, though, Iwaizumi stops Oikawa.

“(y/n), you go ahead. I wanna talk about the new first years with Oikawa, since I’ve got some opinions on them.” Iwaizumi shoos you inside.

“Opinions?” Oikawa asks. “Yikes, it’s been a day and they’re already on Iwa-chan’s blacklist.”

“I didn’t say they were negative opinions.”

You take the excuse to slink off, leaving with a small “See ya.” Once the door is closed behind you, Iwaizumi puts his hand on his face and lets out a long sigh.

“Wow, were the first years really that bad? I thought they were fine.” Iwaizumi glares at Oikawa, hand still on his face.

“This isn’t about the first years, Shittykawa!” Oikawa jumps a bit. “Look, I’ve ignored this long enough. If you’ve got a problem with (y/n), that’s fine! I’m not going to force you to be friends! But don’t string her along half-heartedly acting like her friend.” Oikawa listens wide-eyed. “Seriously, we’re supposed to be best friends. Getting this pissy just because she’s going to a different school is pathetic.”

Oikawa looks away. “You think I don’t know that?”

“You’re certainly acting like you don’t.”

“Well I do!” Iwaizumi waits for him to go on. “But she told me it’s my fault that she’s going to another school, you know? And she left me to find out on my own instead of telling me herself, and I’m just frustrated by it. I don’t know whether to feel guilty or sad or angry! But….”

Iwaizumi cocks his head to the side. “But?”

“But I know she’s her own person, and I can’t stop her from living her life.” He crosses his arms, deep in thought.

“What’s this? Self-awareness from you?” Iwaizumi asks. “So, what are you gonna do?”

“I don’t know. I’m still upset she didn’t tell me, and knowing that she chose her other friends over me hurts.”

There it is again. The mention of your supposed friends. Iwaizumi internally groans, wanting nothing more than to leave Oikawa to his own devices, but he’s worried that if he doesn’t intervene soon the damage will be irreparable. Remembering your pained looks, he hopes it’s not already too late.

“God,” he finally breathes. “Why do I always have to clean up after you?” Locking eyes with Oikawa, he inquires “What do you mean by ‘other friends’? I’ve never seen her hang out with anyone but us.”

Meanwhile, you plop face first onto your bed, mentally exhausted. You had really hoped everything would blow over by now, but clearly that isn’t the case. Your good day feels tainted by the sheer negativity of your walk home. At least once the school year picks up, you’ll have homework to distract you. You roll over, arms stretched out, looking at your ceiling. How long will this go on? You grab a pillow and hold it to your face as you let out a long groan.

Holding the pillow to your chest, you close your eyes for a second, finding solace in the blackness. You try to get your mind off it, to no avail. You glance at the book you’ve been reading, but you have no motivation to crack open the cover. You glance at your gaming system, but none of your games sound fun. You look through your short contacts list before seeing Oikawa’s name, sighing, and tossing it on your desk.

Maybe a nap will help. You will yourself off your bed to change. You pull out a tank top and comfy shorts to sleep in, tossing them on your bed. You sit next to them to pull off your socks, then toss them and your jacket into your hamper. You grab the hem of your shirt and begin to lift, but just as you do, the door swings open.

“Hey, (y/n)-chan, can we talk-”

You stare, like a deer in headlights, at Oikawa, who has frozen in his tracks. The bottom of your shirt hangs just above your midriff, where it stays as you find yourself unable to react. He stares, equally shocked, trying to keep his eyes from drifting to your exposed stomach.

Oikawa snaps out of it first. “I’ll come back later.” He closes the door, leaving you red-faced and mortified. The thought of him entering just a second later haunts you as you slowly get control over your body again. You stiffly continue to change, keeping an eye on the door. You listen, wondering if Oikawa is about to face the wrath of your brother, but the hall outside your room is quiet.

You finish changing, gathering your courage to leave the room. You hesitate before turning the doorknob, and you peer out, seeing Oikawa leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. You hide most of your body behind the door, only letting your eyes be seen. You don’t entirely know how to act now; things have been strained between the two of you before this incident, and now it’s just awkward.

Oikawa shifts uncomfortably, waiting for you to say something. You don’t see Iwaizumi around, and are glad for Oikawa that he didn’t witness it. You pull the door open a little further, staring at your feet.

“Um…” you croak out, unsteadily. “You can come in now….”

Oikawa enters, standing for a moment in the middle of your room before coughing a little and saying, “Can we agree not to mention this to your brother?”

“Yeah. This stays between us.” Staring at the floor, you see his feet turn to face you. You finally look up at him to see he’s offering his pinky to you. You blink, surprised, before giving a small smile and asking, “When was the last time we made a pinky promise?” You raise your hand and wrap your pinky around his, noticing how calloused his hands have become from excessive volleyball practice.

“Not since we were kids,” Oikawa hums. “You know, I think the last time was also a promise to keep quiet. What was the secret again?” Oikawa pretends to struggle to remember, teasing you with the embarrassing memory. “Oh right, when I found out you still slept with a stuffed animal at 11 years old.”

“Ahh, don’t remind me!” you groan, burying your face in your hands. Oikawa snickers, happy to get the reaction he wanted. You glare at his stupid, triumphant face, and retort, “Well, at least I didn’t puke on the car ride to the aquarium, making us have to turn around and go home!” You remind him of the car sickness he had as a child.

His grin drops from his face. “I told you never to mention it again!” You laugh at him, and, after a moment, he joins in. As your laughter dies down, though, it’s replaced by a heavy silence.

You offer him your desk chair while you sit down on your bed, putting your hands in your lap. “So, um… you wanted to talk?”

He scratches the back of his head. “Ah… yeah.” He sighs, and, to your surprise, he sits next to you on your bed. He’s closer than you’re prepared for, especially after the earlier incident. “I guess… I should start by apologizing?” You don’t respond, waiting for him to follow it up. “I, uh, I’ve been pretty distant for a little while.” He tries to gather his thoughts and figure out his next words. “It just kinda stung to feel like I chased you away to Karasuno, and then you didn’t even tell me yourself.”

You lean back, far past the point of letting the blame fall to you. “Well, if you had just given me some time, I would have! And you reacted in just the way I was worried about. You can see why I’d hesitate.”

Oikawa rubs the back of his neck. “Well, I reacted that way because you said it was my fault you wouldn’t go to Seijoh.” His brows are furrowed, but he’s not angry. He simply looks uncomfortable, maybe a bit conflicted. It’s not often you get to see Oikawa look so uneasy. It makes him look more mature than he normally comes off. “And I don’t even know what I did wrong.”

“You mean besides avoiding me, telling nii-san I was going to hang out with friends to get rid of me, and intentionally taunting me with Coraline?”

“Yeah, besides that.” He grimaces a bit, regretting his childish behavior. “What did I do that made you go to Karasuno?”

Thinking for a moment, you lean back. You sigh, unsure of the best way to put it. “It’s not exactly your fault.” You don’t want to tell him about the hazing you faced due to your friendship with him; that would just make him feel awful. “I guess you could say I did it to expand my horizons? Since elementary school, I’ve always followed you around. I never joined any of my own clubs or was a part of any other friend groups. I just needed to spread my wings.”

“...I see.” His response is quiet, but he seems more relaxed. “I was worried I did something without realizing that.”

“So… we good?” You straighten your back, trying to meet his eyes. Oikawa, who had been looking directly ahead since sitting down, finally looks at you.

Then, your breath catches in your throat. Your brain kicks into hyperdrive as it tries to process Oikawa wrapping his arms around you. He hasn’t hugged you since you were very young, but it’s still a warm and familiar sensation. You can feel your heart rate increase again as you stiffly return the embrace. “Yeah,” he mutters, sounding relieved. “We good.” He pulls back, a refreshed smile on his face. His eyes widen a bit when he sees how red your face is, and becomes a bit flustered himself, but he’s distracted when his phone goes off. Pulling his phone out from his pocket, Oikawa lets out an exaggerated sigh. “It’s Iwa-chan. He wants to know if we’re done talking yet. What an impatient guy.” He taps on his screen.

“I suppose we should let him know everything is back to normal, huh?” you say, calming your heart down.

“Ah, he’s so annoying. Can’t mind his own business.” Oikawa reaches over and ruffles your hair. “But I guess I’m glad he interfered this time.”

You swat at his hands, pulling back. “What is it with you two and touching my hair?” Oikawa gleefully laughs in response, and he stands up to go meet Iwaizumi downstairs. You follow, feeling somehow rejuvenated from the relief; it’s like the heavy air that had been following you for so long is finally lifted.

Still, though, looking at Oikawa’s broad back fills you with some vague nervousness; one that you haven’t felt in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to update every Friday.
> 
> We will see if I succeed.


	4. Chapter 4

After a while of trying to stifle it down, you let out a large yawn. You had tried to cover up the bags under your eyes with light makeup, but covering the signs of your exhaustion on the outside doesn’t make you feel any less dead on the inside. Your footsteps are slow and heavy as you drag yourself to the front doors of Karasuno. You curse Oikawa for being on your mind; you had spent the entire night trying to kill the old feelings bubbling back up. That day as a whole was bad for your heart. First your new classmate called you cute, then Oikawa walked in on you changing, and then he even hugged you. You rub the bridge of your nose, deep in thought, before yawning again.

“Long night?”

You jump, startled, realizing you’ve been giving no mind to your surroundings. Looking to your right, you see Nishinoya walking next to you, a soft grin on his face. Another guy walks next to him, also watching you. “Oh… sorry, I didn’t see you. Yeah, I guess I couldn’t sleep very well last night.”

The boy behind Nishinoya speaks up. “Noya-san, who’s your friend?” he asks, eying you. You tighten your grip on your bag. His bald head and intense eyes make him seem like a delinquent, and you tense up under his gaze.

“Ah, Ryu, this is Iwaizumi (y/n)-san. She’s in my class. (y/n)-san, this is Tanaka Ryuunosuke. He’s on the volleyball team with me.” You give a small bow to Tanaka, who responds with a toothy smile and a wave. “(y/n)-san plays volleyball too, you know.”

“Oh yeah?” Tanaka seems interested. “You joining the girls’ team?”

“Ahh, I don’t know. I’ve only played with my brother, his friend, and occasionally members of their team, so joining a team to play competitively is….” You trail off. You had certainly considered it, but the memories of attempting to do so in middle school hang over you.

You notice that the two boys are a bit out of breath. You figure they must have just come from morning practice. Nishinoya has a towel around his neck and his hands are red from receiving. Tanaka has a bruise squarely on his forehead which you can’t help but assume is from taking a heavy spike to the face.

“Well, if you’re unsure, you could always come watch us practice,” Nishinoya suggests. “Maybe it’ll help you decide.”

Tanaka looks unsure. “I dunno if our senpai will love it if you just invite people to practice.” You nod.

“Ahh, it’ll be fine,” Nishinoya says flippantly.

The three of you enter the school building, chatting pleasantly. You’re happy to see your first impression of Tanaka was wrong; he’s actually quite friendly. You can’t help but take your sudden luck in friendship as a sign of good things to come. Hanging out in a group of three feels familiar, and the two boys easily keep up conversation. As far as you can tell, they only met each other yesterday, but they get along like old friends.

Considering Nishinoya’s personality, you think, it makes sense. You had barely acknowledged him before he somewhat forcefully made your acquaintance. You have such little experience in making friends that you really appreciate his outgoing nature; you can’t imagine that he had much trouble fitting in with his volleyball club.

You let out another yawn, which causes Nishinoya to yawn, which causes Tanaka to yawn.

“Ugh, is it too early to start sleeping through class?” you groan, rubbing an eye.

“I slept through class yesterday,” Tanaka responds, “so no time like the present.”

You reach your classroom, and Tanaka bids you farewell, heading to class 1-A. You wave, backing into your classroom without looking. Nishinoya, looking from Tanaka to you, puts his hand out and starts to say something, but is too late to stop you from colliding with someone else.

You hear a soft yelp as you release a quick gasp of surprise. There’s a thump followed by the sound of hands hitting the ground. Looking down, you see Amori Yui on her knees, hands on the ground to catch herself. Next to her is her school bag, which she must have dropped in the fall.

“Oh my god, Amori-san, I’m so sorry,” you say, frazzled. You lean down to help her up while Nishinoya grabs her bag. Amori lets you take her by the arm and pull her up, but she watches you carefully. Nishinoya hands her bag to her, and her suspicious gaze floats to him.

After a moment, she says, “It’s alright.” You watch her, still wary, as she opens her bag and narrows her eyes a bit.

“What’s wrong? Did I break something?” you squeal, hoping it’s nothing expensive. As you examine her bag, trying to get an idea of what is amiss, you recognize the keychain on her bag: the LINE rabbit.

Amori closes her bag with a sigh that seems to be repressing some anger. “No. Some of my lunch just spilled out.”

Nishinoya scratches the back of his head. “Jeez, (y/n)-san, I didn’t take you for a clutz.”

“Let me make it up to you,” you insist. “I’ll buy you lunch to replace it, and you can eat with us!” You feel some kinship with her; perhaps Reina’s advice would actually be helpful.

Amori sniffs, looking annoyed. “Gee, thanks for permission to eat with you. Let me see if I can fit that in my busy schedule between tea with the queen and tending to my rose garden.”

“Hey, (y/n)-san was just trying to be nice!” Nishinoya says, getting a bit agitated. People in the classroom are starting to look. You put your hand on his arm to stop him, though.

Looking again at Amori, you see yourself. If a girl from junior high “accidentally” ran into you, you would respond just as cynically. Amori probably can’t tell you from girls like Reina’s henchmen.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I meant it when I offered to buy you lunch, but no pressure.” You smile as genuinely as you can, trying to seem like you’re no threat, before heading to your seat and beckoning to Nishinoya to follow.

Amori watches you, not entirely sure what to make of you. She takes another look at her bag before returning to her desk, ignoring the whispers. You have to fight the urge to watch her from the corner of your eye, knowing she’d notice. Instead, you catch Nishinoya watching you from his desk, head supported by his hand.

“(y/n)-san…” he mutters, “you don’t get along too well with other girls, do you?”

“Huh? It’s not like that.” Your conversation is cut short by Maebara-sensei starting class.

You spend the first half of the school day fighting back the urge to sleep. You do your best to focus , since today is the first day that classes are actually reviewing material. Glancing to your left, you see Nishinoya zoned out, his attention turned to the window. You take a moment to really appreciate his distant yet content gaze, before continuing to take notes.

You’re aware that you’re being watched, too. You don’t have to look behind you to know that Amori is analyzing your every move to decide whether you’re friend or foe. You really wish she would chill, but you get it. Based on Reina’s words, you figure that Amori had dealt with hazing worse than yours, so it’s a given that she’d be suspicious of one of the many girls from her school that may or may not have had a part in making her life hell. You can only hope she’ll come around.

You catch yourself doodling in the corner of your paper, and quickly erase the poorly drawn Oikawa you subconsciously drew. Once again you remember the warmth of his body embracing you, which only causes you to erase harder until your paper rips. You realize you’ve caught Nishinoya’s attention with your frantic erasing, and glue your eyes to the chalkboard your teacher is writing on, trying not to acknowledge your own blunder.

Finally, lunch rolls around. You know you have to approach Amori, but you have no energy left in your soul. As you stand up, Tanaka pops through the classroom door.

“Noya-san, (y/n)-san, wanna eat together?” he asks. “My sister made me lunch, but she packed me some gross flavor of yogurt, so I’m looking to trade!”

Grabbing his bag and standing, Nishinoya replies, “Hey, you can’t pawn your nasty-ass yogurt off on us. If your sister packed it for you, you should eat it!” He throws his bag over his shoulder, perhaps trying to look cool. If he’s trying, he’s succeeding, you admit to yourself.

You laugh a bit. “Sorry, but I’m inclined to agree with Noya-san.” Pausing for a moment, you add, “Ah, but, is it alright if I invite someone else?” You look to Amori with a glimmer of hope.

“As long as they’re chill, I don’t mind,” Tanaka shrugs. Amori stands and walks to the door without a word, and you feel your heart sink.

Then, she stops and looks back at you. “Well? Are you buying me lunch or what?” Your eyes widen as you grin and nod.

“I’ll buy you as much grub as you want!” you exclaim, beaming. Tanaka raises a brow and Nishinoya smiles. “Come on boys, time is fleeting and so is our lunch period.”

Nishinoya slaps a confused Tanaka’s back and pushes him through the door. The two boys walk in front of you as you and Amori follow. She looks straight ahead, holding her bag with both hands in front of her, but you can tell her guard is still up. With her long black hair and stoic gaze, you’re surprised she didn’t have the title of “Ice Queen” back at Kitagawa Daiichi. You suppose she wasn’t popular enough for such a cool nickname.

Upon entering the cafeteria, you get in line with Amori and Nishinoya for food while Tanaka looks for a place to sit. Nishinoya scrutinizes the options, one hand on his chin. You buy fried chicken, juice, and milk bread, then wait for Amori to pick. To your surprise, she also gets fried chicken; you had figured she’d be into food that was more, well, traditional. Still, you happily pay for her chicken and iced tea.

“Fried chicken, huh?” Nishinoya says. “Sure, that sounds good.”

And like that, the three of you return to Tanaka, all with fried chicken.

“A little early for Christmas, isn’t it?” Tanaka jests, stirring his weird-colored yogurt. You put the milk bread in your bag.

“So, Amori-san,” you say, sitting next to her and slipping the milk bread into your bag, “are we square?”

Amori, who has hardly spoken a word since leaving the classroom, holds up a leg of chicken. “Well, my lunch spilled onto my copy of Rashoumon, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get the smell of banana out of my bag.”

You try to remember how much money you have in your bank account. “I think my brother has an old copy of Rashoumon that he doesn’t read, and I can buy you a new bag!”

Amori smiles, just a little. “You’re not bad, (y/n)-san. Don’t worry about it, we’re square.” Your worry drops away, as you slowly grin back.

An arm catches you around the shoulders, and another arm catches Amori in the same way. Nishinoya, leaning down between the two of you, hangs on your shoulders, beaming. “All’s well that ends well, huh?” You’re caught off-guard as Nishinoya’s face hangs close to yours. You pull back an inch, feeling your face heat up. Amori just looks somewhat irritated, but not actually upset. She kind of reminds you of your brother, actually. “So, Amori-san, you eating with us tomorrow too?”

Amori takes a bite of her chicken leg, takes her time chewing, then swallows and says, “Well, not like I have anyone else to eat with.”

Nishinoya finally gets off of your shoulders, taking the seat between you and Tanaka where he had already set his food. You rub the back of your neck where his arm had been. “Jeez, Noya-san, you’re heavy for your size.” Tanaka snorts, trying not to choke on his food.

“It’s all muscle! Wanna see these guns?” He grabs the sleeve of his uniform, pulling it tight around his arm. You laugh as Amori rolls her eyes, probably regretting the company she has chosen to keep.

You take your time trying to get to know the three of them. Lunch passes by quickly; in a lot of ways, eating with them is more fun than eating with Iwaizumi and Oikawa. You had thought about it before, but being with friends you made on your own feels more genuine. Well, maybe it’s too soon to call them friends, but the four of you seem to click really well, even if Amori is a little aloof.

You learn that Amori plays singles tennis, Tanaka is a wing spiker, and the reason that Nishinoya dyed his hair back to black was because it broke his middle school’s dress code.

“I don’t think dyed hair is against Karasuno’s rules,” Tanaka says. “You could probably redye it.” At this point, he’s eaten everything but his yogurt, which he has set a few feet away from him.

Nishinoya holds a clump of hair at his forehead in front of his eyes. “Hmm, should I?” You don’t give any input, but you internally smile, happy he’s considering it.

The lunch period comes to an end, and Tanaka leaves to go to his class. The rest of the day passes quickly and without any more Oikawa doodles. Towards the end of class, you hear Nishinoya rip off the corner of a page out of his notebook, which he slides in his pocket. You raise a brow, but continue taking notes.

When you finally leave the classroom, you meet back up with Tanaka and Nishinoya. Amori has to leave for tennis, which is in the opposite direction, so you walk out with the boys.

“Oh, that’s right,” Tanaka remembers, “(y/n)-san, did you want to come watch us practice?” Nishinoya looks at you expectantly.

“Don’t you guys think you should ask your senpai? They may not be happy if a couple first years start bringing their friends,” you point out. “Besides, I usually meet up with my brother after class. His team is pretty used to me coming around.”

“Too bad, maybe next time. We’ll make sure to ask,” Tanaka promises. “We don’t have a coach, so that’s one less person we need permission from.”

“Wow, you guys don’t even have a coach?” you ask, bewildered.

“Yeah, not all of us have the funding of Seijoh,” Tanaka shrugs.

“To hell with that. We don’t need a coach to beat those bastards!” Nishinoya declares, fist clenched. “With me as Karasuno’s libero, the ball will never see the floor of our side of the court; I’ll become the guardian deity of Karasuno, and the babes will all-”

“Hey, Noya-san,” Tanaka interjects. “Aren’t the first years in charge of cleaning the gym before practice? Meaning we have to be there…” he checks his phone, “...in three - make that two - minutes?”

“Oh hell, you’re right. Sorry (y/n)-san, we gotta blast.” Nishinoya begins to pick up the pace to follow Tanaka, who has already broken into a full sprint, before stopping for a moment. “Ah, I almost forgot!” He pulls a scrap of paper out of his pocket and hands it to you before running off. You look down at it, confused, before looking back up. As he goes, he yells to you, “That’s my number! If you text me, I’ll give you Tanaka’s too!”

He’s out of earshot before you can respond, and you don’t want to keep him any longer, so you just let out a small sigh while you smile and wave goodbye. You put the paper in your pocket and start on your way to Aoba Johsai, humming as you walk.

When you arrive at the gym of Aoba Johsai, you see Iwaizumi and Oikawa sitting out front. You don’t hear the usual noise of boys practicing volleyball coming from the gym. Oikawa is staring at his phone listlessly, so Iwaizumi sees you first. He nudges Oikawa, who looks up and gives you that childish grin of his. They stand up and meet you halfway.

“No practice today?” you ask as they get closer.

“Nah, coach cancelled. I guess he had a meeting, and he’s the only one with a key to the gym.” Iwaizumi holds his bag over his shoulder.

“How was your day, (y/n)-chan?” Oikawa asks. He holds out a hand, and it takes you a second to realize he’s offering to take your bag.

“Fine?” You give him your bag with a brow raised.

Iwaizumi starts walking in the direction of home. “I see you two are getting along better.”

“Want me to take your bag too, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa sings.

“I think I’ll manage.”

You trail behind them, and, unsure of what else to do with your hands now that you don’t have a bag, you put them in your skirt pockets. You feel the small scrap of paper inside, and smile softly to yourself. Not only is this the first time someone gave you their number, it’s also the first time a boy gave you his number.

Oikawa stops walking, looking back at you, which causes Iwaizumi to stop. Your brother looks at Oikawa then you, only now realizing how far behind you’ve been walking.

“You’re lagging behind so much, (y/n)-chan,” Oikawa sighs, stepping towards you. He puts both bags in his right hand before swinging his arm around your shoulders and pulling you along. “Come on now, keep up.” He’s so much taller than you that you have to jog a little to keep up. Iwaizumi watches Oikawa carefully before matching his pace without a word.

Because the three of you get back home so early and still have very little homework, Oikawa sticks around to kill time. After several rounds of getting crushed at Mario Kart, Oikawa pouts and asks for a change of scenery. You grab some drinks and meet them outside on the patio, where they sit with their legs over the edge. You give them both their drinks then sit beside Iwaizumi.

“So, nii-chan,” you start, “any girls catching your eye? Maybe a cute first year?” You nudge him with your elbow, raising your eyebrows.

Sadly, your boring brother only gives you a “Nope.” However, after a sigh, he adds, “But Shittykawa over here was drowning in girls as per usual.”

“Oh yeah?” you say, leaning forward over Iwaizumi to see Oikawa’s reaction.

Oikawa simply shrugs. “I can’t help that I’m just that charismatic.” Looking back at you with a teasing smile to cover his curious eyes, Oikawa asks, “What about you, (y/n)-chan? You mentioned you made a friend.” Iwaizumi also looks at you, wondering about the answer as well.

You lean back with a huff and a cocky smile. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” You take a long sip from your drink.

“Aw, come on (y/n)-chan,” Oikawa pouts.

“Alright, alright, since you asked so nicely.” Setting your drink next to you and pulling your leg up on the patio, you turn to face the two. “Do you guys remember in your third year of middle school when you played against Chidoriyama?”

“Oh yeah,” Iwaizumi says, hand on his chin as he recalls. “They were a really solid team.”

Oikawa snickers. “You would break through their blockers only to get denied by that tiny libero.” Iwaizumi shoots him a dirty look.

“Funny you should mention their libero,” you interject before Iwaizumi can hit Oikawa. They look back at you. “His name is Nishinoya Yuu, and he sits next to me in class.”

“He’s your new friend?” Iwaizumi asks, and you nod proudly. “You really can’t escape volleyball players, can you?”

You sigh dramatically, putting your hand to your forehead. “It’s a blessing and a curse.” You go to drink more, only to find that you’ve run out. “I’m gonna grab more to drink, do either of you want anything?”

Iwaizumi shakes his head, but Oikawa says, “Ooh, I’ll take some milk bread!” You flash him a thumbs up before heading back inside. After you close the door, Oikawa leans back, his cheerful grin turning sardonic. “Nishinoya Yuu, huh?”

Iwaizumi can tell it’s going to be a long year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, it's been a rough week for ya girl. Writing this chapter was like pulling teeth but I think I'm happy with how it came out. Quarantine and some personal issues have me at the point where I'm either gonna throw myself into my work or out the window. Still, I plan to continue updating regularly.
> 
> In the meantime, hit me up on Discord! I'm always looking to chat with people and make new friends. My Discord ID is Monochrome#9826. If you don't have a Discord, you can also email me at Danamosaurus@gmail.com!
> 
> Please I need to socialize, quarantine is killing my extrovert soul


	5. Chapter 5

“Hey, mom, do you think I should go for the red blouse or the blue-” you stop mid-sentence as you step out into the living room. You hold two hangars, one with a red blouse and the other with a blue blouse. Iwaizumi sits on the couch where your mom was moments before. You lower the hangars, cocking your head to the side. “Uh, nii-san? Where’d mom go?”

“She got a call from work and told me to help you with your outfit in her place.” He looks at the blouses. “Bring them closer so I can get a better look.”

He lifts himself from the couch as you bring yourself closer to compare your options. As he examines them, you ponder, “Why’s mom getting called in on a Saturday? And on such short notice too.”

“Dunno.” Iwaizumi holds the blue blouse by the sleeve, looking it over. “I guess it was something urgent. She didn’t really say what it was when she left. What bottoms were you planning on wearing with this?”

“Since it’s getting warmer, I was thinking I’d wear a pair of shorts. Maybe the white pair I bought a couple months ago.”

“In that case, go with the blue. It’s not quite a spring color, but it’s pastel, so it’ll work.” Part of you is a little miffed that your brother is more fashion-savvy than you, but you appreciate the help. You would have come to him originally, but - “So, where are you heading that your outfit is so important?” You didn’t want to be questioned.

Alas, that ship has sailed. “I’m just going out with some friends. It’s the first time they’ll be seeing me out of uniform, so I’ve gotta set the bar high.” It’s been a few weeks since the beginning of the school year, and you’re starting to get used to your new normal. Your relationship with Oikawa has also settled back to the status quo.

Mostly, anyway. You can’t help but notice he’s been touching you more lately. Not in a weird way; it’s all been typical friendly skinship. For example, he ruffles your hair more often, and he’s taken to using your head as an armrest. You usually swat him away. You don’t hate it, but it’s certainly sending you some mixed signals. Even so, after years of disappointment, you don’t bother getting your hopes up.

Unfortunately, keeping your expectations low can’t stop Oikawa from making your heart rate high. You wonder how aware he is of how he can make you feel. He acts so oblivious, but you know he can be far more cunning and calculating than he lets on.

“Oikawa invited us to the arcade today, so I’ll tell him you’re busy.” He pulls out his phone to text Oikawa.

“If he had told me in advance, I could have planned around it,” you sigh. You head back to your room, telling Iwaizumi, “I’ll be leaving in half an hour. Say hi to Oikawa-san for me.” He nods in response.

You proceed to get ready, putting a little more effort into your hair and makeup than usual. You’re meeting at the new ice cream parlor that Oikawa had taken you and Iwaizumi to at the end of the previous school year. You had recommended it to the group; it’s a little pricey, but it’s good.

You haven’t seen any of the others in casual clothes, and you can’t help but wonder what style they each have. As you wonder, you get a text from Oikawa, telling you that you best come along to the arcade next time. You grin and text back, “I’m a busy woman. You’ll have to talk to my secretary to make an appointment.” The message is marked read, but he doesn’t respond.

Checking the time, you decide it’s time to go. You grab your bag and wallet and check yourself one last time in the mirror. Smiling, happy with what you see, you exit your room. You might be a little early, but not by much. You head towards the front door, passing by Iwaizumi eating cereal and looking at his phone.

“Hey, (y/n), why is Oikawa calling me your secretary?” he asks without looking up.

As you reach the door, you give him your best smile and try to channel Oikawa. “Oh, Iwa-chan, be a doll and pencil him in? I’m off to meet with my 12 o’clock.”

Iwaizumi doesn’t say anything. Without moving his head, his eyes shoot up at you, looking both irritated and disappointed. It’s an expression usually reserved for Oikawa.

“Bye!” you sing, heading out the door.

You catch the bus to town, finding an empty two-seater and sitting by the window. Putting in earbuds, you stare out the window, watching the scenery pass. It’s only a fifteen minute ride, but your excitement slows time down. You fiddle with the zipper on the bag in your lap, letting your leg shake in anticipation. You rock a little to the beat of your music.

A chill runs down your spine as one of your earbuds is pulled out. “Whatcha listening to?” You quickly look to the seat next to you, eyes wide. There sits Nishinoya, gingerly putting your earbud in his ear. “Oh hey, this is pretty nice.” You have to move a little closer to give the cord some slack.

“Jeez, Noya-san, you scared me.” You sigh, your heartbeat returning to a mostly normal pace. “I didn’t realize your stop was on the way.”

Nishinoya shrugs and says wistfully, “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.”

“Okay, edge lord.” You roll your eyes but can’t contain your smile, and Nishinoya snickers in response to the reaction he elicits. You reach for your stolen earbud. “Gimme that!”

He grabs your hand. “Ah-ah, not so fast. At least let me finish this song.” Your hand lingers in his for a second before you pull it back.

You let out a huff as you turn back towards the window to hide your face. “Jeez, so needy.” You place your hands in your lap, tracing around where he had grabbed you.

The song finishes, but you don’t take the earbud back. You just close your eyes and enjoy the next song, taking a secret pleasure in the presence of Nishinoya next to you. Is this enough to call it a crush? You don’t know for sure, but you have a feeling that you will in a few more weeks. You furrow your brows a bit. It’s nice to think about the prospect of liking someone, but of course, liking someone comes with its own set of problems. Worrying about how they feel, dealing with rejection, risking the end of a friendship in hopes of starting a relationship… it’s all quite daunting.

Nishinoya stands up and you realize it’s your stop. He pauses for a moment, waiting for you to join him. You scramble to your feet, following him off the bus. You step off behind him, giving a small wave and a thank you to the bus driver, before adjusting your bag and facing Nishinoya.

For the first time today, you’re able to get a good look at his outfit. You watch closely as Nishinoya slips his hands into the pockets of his black shorts. His black sleeveless vest hangs open to show his orange t-shirt beneath; it has some words on it, but you can’t quite read it because the sides are covered by the vest.

Realizing you’re staring, you blink and look elsewhere. “Amori-san and Tanaka-san should be here soon, right?” you ask quickly. You have a feeling he noticed you watching him, and you really don’t want him to comment on it.

“Yeah, they should be on the next bus. I wanted to be a little early to impress everyone. I guess you had the same idea.” He leans against the wall of the building directly behind you. You join him, trying to stay out of the way of the people walking past.

“I just wanted to be sure I wasn’t late. And, to be honest, I was kinda excited for today.” You fold your hands in front of you. “It’s my first outing with friends.”

The street is bustling with people enjoying their weekend. Shops and eateries line the sidewalk and kids fly by on bikes. Indistinct chatter fills the air and mixes with the familiar rushing of cars. You take in the moment, making absent small talk with Nishinoya, until a nice car pulls up in front of you. Just by its design, you can tell it’s an expensive vehicle. The sun harshly shines off its black coat, showing off its recent polish. You squint in an attempt to make out the people in the car, but the windows are heavily tinted. You and Nishinoya exchange confused glances before the back door of the car opens.

You’re ready to be greeted by a yakuza boss when a familiar face figure steps out, looking mildly irritated.

“Amori-san!” you gasp. Amori closes the door with a slam, paying no mind to the staring eyes around her.

“Hey, you two,” says, brushing her long hair behind her shoulder. “Been waiting long?” She glances around. “Still no Tanaka I see. Well, I guess it’s not quite noon yet.” She checks her watch as you and Nishinoya gawk.

Her watch screams luxury; hell, her entire outfit screams luxury. The jeweled hair clip holding back a chunk of her hair on the left side of her head looks like it costs more than all of the jewelry you own combined. Her clothes themselves, though clearly luxury brands, are fairly toned down. Her white sleeveless blouse clasps around the neck and is tucked into black shorts that stop around her mid-thigh. Her black heels clack on the sidewalk as she waits for you to respond.

“Hellooo?” She snaps her fingers, bringing you back to reality.

“O-oh, uh…” Nishinoya speaks before you’re able to. “You look nice, Amori-san.”

“Thanks, I - hang on.” She interrupts herself and turns her attention to the car still behind her. Opening the door she stepped out of, she yells to the driver, exasperated, “You can leave now! Yes, fine, I’ll text Dad when I need to be picked up. By 7 o’clock, I know!” Closing the door again, the car drives off, and she sighs. “Sorry about that. My dad insisted our driver drop me off.”

“You have a driver?” you ask, incredulous.

“Oh… yeah. My family’s kinda well-off. I live close enough to school that I just walk, though, so no one at Karasuno knows. I usually biked to Kitagawa Daiichi too, so….” She trails off, looking a little uncomfortable.

“So… we’re special because we get to know?” you finish excitedly. Nishinoya also looks thrilled at the prospect of being special.

Amori snorts and flashes a rare and unpracticed smile. “Pfft, it’s not like it’s a secret or anything.”

Soon after, a bus rolls up to the stop, and Tanaka steps out after a small stream of people. “Oh man, am I the last one here? I’m not even late!” He checks his phone. “Okay, maybe a little late. But only a couple minutes!”

Nishinoya slaps his arm. “You’re the slowest of us all, so you’re buying us ice cream!” he jeers.

Tanaka grabs his head and groans, wiping his hands down his face. You chuckle, watching the two boys, and Amori gives them a fond look, their antics slowly growing on her.

Nishinoya throws his arm around your shoulder, pointing forward with the other. “Alright, forward march!” Amori gives him an odd look that you can’t quite understand. You try to figure it out, but are pulled forward by Nishinoya. “Alright, Ryu, I want a large orange sherbet with chocolate drizzle,” he declares as he drags you along, the other two following closely behind. He lets his arm fall off of you, putting his hands in his pocket and looking back at Tanaka with a mischievous grin. “And (y/n)-san? Care to give your order to our little gopher?”

You put your hand to your chin. “Hmm… well, I’ll try something different from what I got last time, so -”

“I’m not your damned gopher!” he yells with his usual amounts of energy.

“I’ll take a medium French vanilla with pecans on top,” Amori says, not missing a beat. Tanaka, surprised that even Amori is joining in, just lets out another sigh, resigning himself to be the butt of the joke.

As you walk, you remember that the arcade Oikawa had invited you to is across the street. Looking for it, you spot the colorful sign hanging above a window displaying copious amounts of games. You can even make out people playing at them. Since Iwaizumi was still eating when you left, he and Oikawa probably aren’t there yet.

After another block or two, the four of you arrive at the ice cream shop. There’s a help wanted sign out front; you suppose they’re still looking for employees after only recently opening. The door opens with a soft chime as you take the lead into the building, only to stop in your tracks when you see the girl at the counter.

Discomfort fills you as Reina looks up from the register, and her face fills with a mutual sentiment. You slowly step further in, letting the others file in behind you. Amori and Nishinoya immediately recognize her, and you can feel Amori freeze up while Nishinoya sends a concerned glance to you.

However, blissfully ignorant Tanaka strolls up to the register unperturbed. “Let’s see, can I get a large orange sherbet, chocolate drizzle, a medium French vanilla with pecans, a large Superman with sprinkles, and…” he pauses before asking you, “(y/n)-san, what was it you wanted?” You stammer back your order, trying to collect your thoughts. Reina stiffly rings up the order and gives Tanaka his change. “Oi, I don’t have four hands so I’m gonna need some help carrying these when they’re ready.”

“Right, I’m coming,” Nishinoya says. “Why don’t you guys wait outside for us?”

You wouldn’t have pegged Nishinoya as someone who can read the room, but you’re happy he is. You and Amori hurry outside, both feeling some amount of anguish.

The two of you stand outside waiting, staring at the ground.

Amori finally speaks up. “So. You too?” You nod. “Is that why you were so nice to me?”

You shrug, not looking up. “I dunno, I just felt like… we were similar, you know?” Amori doesn’t respond. “Are you angry that I treated you differently because of it?”

Amori sighs, starting to feel more like herself. “No. Actually, it makes a lot of sense now that I think about it. Reina was into Oikawa-senpai, my father fired her mother from his company… she had reason to hate both of us.”

You look up. “You knew Oikawa-san?”

Amori scoffs. “Please. What Kitagawa Daiichi girl didn’t?” You laugh a bit, feeling better. The door opens as Nishinoya leans on it, your ice cream and his in hand. He lets the door go as Tanaka walks out and hands Amori hers.

You reach out for yours, but Nishinoya pulls it back, that mischievous smirk back on his face. “You know,” he says, “it’s not every day I get to mess with someone shorter than me.” Your eyes go wide as he holds your ice cream above you, teasing you. You jump for it, but he pulls it out of reach just in time. Giving him a death stare, you change targets and grab his orange sherbet.

Taking the plastic spoon and scooping some ice cream, you say, “Give me my ice cream or I take a bite of yours.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Nishinoya gasps. Tanaka tries to contain his laughter while Amori silently eats her ice cream.

“Oh, I would.” You bite down and swallow, looking at Nishinoya defiantly. “Want me to do it again?”

“Okay, okay, fine, you win!” He hesitates for a moment before handing back your ice cream. “But before I return this…” he takes a bit. “There, now we’re even.”

You hold out his orange sherbet. “Nishinoya Yuu-san, you truly are a worthy opponent.”

He takes it, handing you yours. “I could say the same to you, Iwaizumi (y/n)-san.”

“This is stupid,” Amori interjects, cutting of your playful moment. Still, she seems somewhat amused. “Where to next?”

You shrug, taking a scoop; you had only planned the ice cream shop. “How about we just wander around town for a bit? Maybe hit the park?”

You all agree and take your time exploring town. There were new shops you’ve never seen, and it’s fun to people-watch. Around 1 o’clock, Amori stops, looking into a store.

“Hang on, I’ll just be a minute,” she says. “Just wait out here.”

The three of you loiter outside, and you inquire about how volleyball practice is.

“Well…” Tanaka says, looking miffed, “some of the other first years like Ennoshita-san have started skipping practice.”

“Yeah, Coach Ukai came back and started pushing us all pretty hard.” Nishinoya looks exhausted just thinking about it. “It’s hard to keep up, but skipping just ain’t right.”

“Easy for you to say, genius libero. Coach loves you,” Tanaka grumbles. “He made me practice diving for an hour.”

“Wait,” you interrupt. “I thought you guys didn’t have a coach?”

“The legendary Coach Ukai that brought Karasuno to nationals back in the day came back,” Tanaka explains. “He’s a hard-ass, but he lives up to his name.” He gripes for a while more about the intense practice.

Amori exits with a small bag in hand, ending your conversation. You look at the bag curiously, but Amori doesn’t say anything about it, and you don’t ask.

Around 2 o’clock, Tanaka looks at his phone and sighs.

“It’s two already? Damn,” he mutters.

“What’s happening at two?” you ask, matching his pace. He looks at you, perplexed, before realizing that all three of you seem to be waiting for an answer.

“Didn’t I tell you guys? I have to leave at two to help my sister build some furniture.” He’s met with blank looks. He opens his texts, and facepalms when he sees that the text reading “gotta leave @2 2 help my sis” was never sent. “I was wondering why no one responded. I’ll save myself the embarrassment and just leave now,” he grumbles. He rubs the bridge of his nose.

“Want us to walk back with you?” you offer.

“Nah, I’ll take my walk of shame by myself. ‘Sides, the bus stop is in the opposite direction.”

Nishinoya lets out a melodramatic sigh. “Jeez, Ryu. For this, you’re buying us ice cream next time too.”

“Noya-san, one of these days I’ll have you buying me ice cream.” There’s some more banter back and forth before Tanaka one again realizes the time and scurries off. You watch him go before returning to your stroll.

Around 3 o’clock, Amori gets a phone call.

“Hey Dad, what’s up? ...Sorry. Hello, Father. Why are you calling?” Amori’s tone becomes extremely cordial, while her expression portrays pure irritation. “...I had told you I would be back by seven. No, I am not questioning you, I just -” She’s cut off, and sighs. “Yes, I understand.” She hangs up and stares at her phone for a moment, trying to keep a lid on her frustration. “Sorry, guys, sounds like my driver is coming to pick me up. You guys can go ahead without me.”

“Are you sure?” you ask. “We can wait with you.”

Amori shakes her head. “Thanks, but I’ll be alright. I just have to take care of some family business.” You nod, understanding. She looks at you like she wants to say more, but she only looks away. “I’ll see you guys on Monday.”

You say goodbye, and Amori heads to the destination that her driver is to pick her up from. You can tell from the slow and heavy clack of her heels that she is not pleased.

“That’s too bad,” Nishinoya says. “D’ya think she’s gonna be alright?”

“I’ll text her later,” you say, feeling a bit down. “Should we head back?” Amori’s departure leaves a bad taste in your mouth, killing the mood.

He nods, and you begin your walk back to the bus stop in relative silence. You and Nishinoya chat absently about his coach and the bailing first years, but even that sounds a little awkward. You can’t tell if the conversation is actually strained or if you’re just projecting your own feelings onto it, but it’s still a drag. You trail behind him a bit, but Nishinoya doesn’t let the distance grow too much.

Ahead of you on the sidewalk, you see a young child, no older than six or seven, hanging on his mother’s shirt. You smile a little to yourself, remembering how you used to do the same. The boy lets go and looks about at all the distracting things happening around him, as flighty children tend to do. As you pass by him, his eyes lock onto the televisions on display across the street.

His mother still looking elsewhere, the boy takes a step onto the street. Nishinoya, further ahead by maybe half a meter, doesn’t notice the bus coming toward the child until you’ve already run out into the street after him.

You don’t know why you do it. You’ve never had a particular desire to be a hero. Perhaps never being protected in middle school left you with the drive to protect others. Maybe you have a martyr complex you don’t know about. It could be neither of those. However, in that moment, seeing a young boy about to be run over by an oncoming bus, your legs seem to move by themselves.

You grab the back of his collar, yanking him back. He seems to choke a bit, but you’d rather his neck take a little damage than let him get killed. As you pull him back, wrapping your other arm around his stomach, the bus wizzes by, narrowly missing you and the child thanks to your quick thinking and the bus driver’s maneuvers.

As you stumble back, your left foot hits the curb at an awkward angle, and you come down onto the sidewalk with the child on top of you. You wince, but the adrenaline keeps you from feeling much. After a second of shock, the boy begins crying loudly, and two figures come running towards you.

“Oh my god, Shintarou!” a woman’s voice screams. You sit up, keeping the boy in your lap as you scooch away from the road. “Oh my baby are you alright?” She lifts him from his lap. “Are you hurt?” The boy can’t very well communicate between his sobs, but he seems more or less unharmed. “Thank you so much!” the woman says through tears of her own.

“(y/n)-san!” Nishinoya’s voice catches your attention. You’ve never seen someone with so much concern for you in their eyes. “Are you okay?”

You flash him a thumbs up. “All’s good!”

Nishinoya fusses over for you while the woman switches between thanking you and scolding her son. Nishinoya pulls you to your feet, but as you stand, a sharp pain flashes in your foot. He tightens his grip on you, his concern clearly growing.

You do your best to smile at the woman. “Really, it was no problem. I’m just glad he’s okay.”

“How can I repay you?” she asks, tears still streaming down her face.

“There’s no need-”

“Oh, I know! It’s not much, but I teach violin lessons. If you’re interested, I’ll give you as many free lessons as you want!” She digs in her bag. “Here’s my card.” The card reads “Terada Kyouko | Professional Violinist | Violin Instructor,” then lists her phone number and email. “I know it’s not much, but contact me whenever and I’ll be happy to work with you!”

She finally takes her lead, carrying her son so as to keep him from running off. You smile and wave.

“Hey. (y/n)-san.” You look at Nishinoya, still supporting you, who stares back at you with furrowed brows and a tight jaw. “Are you really okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine! See, I can totally wa-” you push yourself off of him only for your left leg to give out. He catches you again before you hit the ground. “Okay, maybe I’m not fine. I just need a walking stick or something to support me.”

Nishinoya raises a brow. “Right. A walking stick. Look, (y/n)-san, I’ve seen plenty of sprained ankles in my time, and what we have here is a sprained ankle.”

Putting your hand to your forehead, you say dramatically, “It’s my warrior’s scar.”

Nishinoya lets out a small chuckle. “Okay, warrior, I’m taking you home. Here, get on my back.”

You resist at first, insisting that you can walk, but you fail to prove it. Defeated, you let Nishinoya hoist you onto his back. You do your best to keep some distance, already feeling your face heat up.

“Hey, if you lean back like that, you’re gonna fall off,” Nishinoya says. “Hold tight, ‘kay?”

“S-Sure.”

You recall thinking that you’d know whether or not you’d have a crush on Nishinoya in a few weeks. Wrapping your arms tightly around his shoulders, you think to yourself, Guess it was more like three hours. You pray he can’t feel your heartbeat on his back.

“Iwa-chan, how are you so good at these zombie games?” Oikawa exclaims, laying the compliments on thick.

Shooting another zombie, Iwaizumi simply says, “It’s pretty easy. I just imagine they’re you.”

Oikawa lowers his plastic pink gun. “So cruel!”

“Idiot! You’ll-” Blood splashes on the screen, and Iwaizumi groans. “You’ll get us killed.”

The two put the guns back in the machine so that the next two could play. Looking for something else to play, they walk by the window. Iwaizumi glances around at the options before something outside catches his eye. Amongst the crowd, he sees a familiar girl getting a piggyback ride from a boy he doesn’t recognize.

“Hey, Oikawa, isn’t that….” When Iwaizumi grabs his friend’s arm, he realizes that Oikawa’s sharp eyes have already caught the two. A chill runs down Iwaizumi’s spine. He has seen Oikawa angry before, sure, but the only time Iwaizumi had witnessed his happy-go-lucky setter drop his fake smile was when yelling at their kouhai, Kageyama. Dealing with him wasn’t fun then, and Iwaizumi has a feeling it’s not going to be fun now.

Oikawa takes off towards the door, still technically walking, but at a pace that Iwaizumi has to jog to keep up with.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Iwaizumi asks.

“That’s what I’m going to find out,” Oikawa says through gritted teeth. Iwaizumi grabs his wrist, stopping Oikawa in his tracks.

“I don’t mean with (y/n), I mean with you.” Oikawa finally meets his eyes, waiting for him to go on. “What’s with you lately? You said you weren’t into my sister, but your actions are making me think otherwise.”

Oikawa’s strained expression melts into one of surprise. “Into your… sister?” He blinks, trying to process Iwaizumi’s words. “No, of course not!” Oikawa’s flippant attitude and smile suddenly return. “I’m just worried, is all. So could you please let me go?” Iwaizumi’s grip doesn’t weaken. “Come on, Iwa-chan.”

“Nope. Pick a cafe, we’re sitting down to talk.” Oikawa’s smile drops again, although this time he looks less pissed and more uncomfortable.

“This is your stop, right?” Nishinoya asks. The bus going back to your house is more crowded than the one you took earlier that day, so Nishinoya stands while you sit in the last seat that was available.

“Yeah,” you say quietly. You haven’t spoken much, trying to keep your feelings from flowing out.

“Jeez, you did an amazing thing, but you really need to be more careful.” The way he worries for you just causes your chest to tighten, so you nod and accept his words. “Alright, we’re here. Carefully now… alright.”

He helps you off the bus and onto his back, returning you to that same embarrassing position. You open your mouth to say something a few times before closing it again. Being happy to be close to him before was one thing, but feeling like you’re lucky to be this close to him was just weird, and you curse yourself for it.

Even so, you eventually manage to whisper, “You should dye your hair again. I think it’d be cute.”

Nishinoya’s pace hiccups in surprise. He doesn’t say anything, and you immediately regret your words. The immediate feelings of shame are enough to keep you from noticing how red his ears are. You try to make yourself smaller, but it’s hard to erase your presence from a person who’s carrying you.

As you reach your house, you see your mother just arriving. She gives the two of you an incredulous look before you point down to your foot. “Sprained my ankle.” Her shoulders drop.

“I just got home and now my only daughter is injured. Today was supposed to be a me day,” she laments. Nishinoya laughs a bit. “Thanks for taking her home. You are…?”

“Nishinoya Yuu,” he responds, gingerly letting you down onto the edge of your porch. Once you’re situated, he offers his hand to your mother to shake. “Nice to meet you, Iwaizumi-san.” Your mother smiles, seeming to approve of him. “I’m gonna get going, (y/n)-san. I’ll text you later to check up on you!”

“Okay!” you squeak. Straightening up and fixing your voice, you repeat, “Okay. Thank you so much, Noya-san!”

He smiles warmly. “See you Monday!” Waving, he takes off.

Watching him go, your mother sits next to you on the porch. With a snort, she nudges you and says, “Nishinoya Yuu, huh?”

You bury your face in your hands. “Oh my god, Mom. I sprained my ankle and this is your reaction.” She cackles, pleased with the embarrassed mess she calls her child, before helping you into the house.

Placing his foot onto the final step descending from the bus, Oikawa locks eyes with a boy waiting at the stop. He immediately recognizes him as the boy who had carried you. Nishinoya raises a brow in response to the stare-down he’s receiving, until Iwaizumi smacks the back of Oikawa’s head.

“You’re in the way, Shittykawa. Keep moving.”

Oikawa does as he’s told, whining as he goes, but doesn’t let Nishinoya out of his peripherals until he boards the bus. With cold eyes, he watches the bus leave, before finally giving into Iwaizumi’s coaxing and heading in the direction of home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter! I know I said I'd try to post every Friday, but last week was pretty busy. That said, this chapter is a longer one than usual, so I hope you'll forgive me. There's a lot going on, so it was hard to keep track of everything, but I'm trying to set up some future plot points. This was a fun chapter to write, so I hope you guys enjoy it!


	6. Chapter 6

Oikawa solemnly steps into his room, closing the door behind him softly with a click. He leans back against the door, one hand still on the knob, and puts his other hand under his glasses, covering his eyes. Slowly wiping his palm down from his eyes to his scowl, his already dark eyes seemingly get a shade darker as he stares at nothing, deep in thought. Pushing himself off the door, he puts headphones in and collapses face-up onto his bed, his gaze distantly directed at the ceiling.

Iwaizumi had invited Oikawa to stay for dinner, but their discussion at the cafe left him wanting space to think. He also couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t say something insensitive to you, so he didn’t even swing by to say hello. He tosses his glasses a ways down his bed, trying to soothe his headache. Putting his cheesiest and most emotional playlist on shuffle, he lets his mind revisit his earlier talk with Iwaizumi. 

“Pick a cafe, we’re sitting down to talk.” When those words left Iwaizumi’s mouth, Oikawa knew he wouldn’t be getting out of this conversation easily. If he was entirely honest, he wasn’t entirely sure why he was so angry. Oikawa was finally calming down; normally, he wouldn’t let his emotions get the best of him so easily. Thinking about it, he could only reason that he reacted so strongly because he was caught off-guard. It didn’t help that he didn’t entirely understand why he was so angry. It was easier to keep calm when he could rationalize his feelings, but Oikawa, standing outside the arcade with his arm in Iwaizumi’s iron grip, felt very lost.

Iwaizumi, the human being most in tune with Oikawa’s emotions, loosened his grip. Oikawa stood there for a moment, not meeting his friend’s eyes, as bystanders gave the two weird looks. Oikawa closes his eyes for a moment, before reopening them with his classic refreshing smile. “Alright, I know just the cafe!”

And that’s how they wound up at the Miyagi Cafe and Bakery. It was a local joint, and even on a day like that, where the streets were dotted with people, the cafe was relatively empty. As they sat down, a waitress trotted up to them, trying not to stare at Oikawa.

“What can I get for the two of you?” she asked, although she seemed to mainly direct the question at Oikawa.

Iwaizumi, used to this treatment, kept his order simple and asked for a black coffee.

Oikawa, also used to this treatment, gave the girl a pleasant grin and ordered a caramel frappuccino. As she left with the boys’ orders, Iwaizumi said dryly, “I swear, if you get another receipt with a girl’s phone number on it, I’m gonna punch you.”

“You never stop with the threats, do you, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa responded, tossing his hands up and feigning hurt.

Iwaizumi crossed his arms. “I think it’s time we address the elephant in the room.”

“Yeah, Iwa-chan. You really need to get a haircut, your spikes are getting a bit long-” Iwaizumi’s death stare stopped Oikawa. “Okay, yeah, sorry.”

“So? What’s with you these days?” Iwaizumi began, his glare turning into concern.

Oikawa put his elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand, looking lazily out the window. “I don’t know. To be frank, I’ve avoided thinking about it. We have volleyball to focus on.”

“At this rate, it’s gonna interfere with your practice,” Iwaizumi pointed out. “Remember the first day of practice? Coach made you sit out.” Oikawa sat in silence, mulling over Iwaizumi’s words. Iwaizumi knew he’d have to pry Oikawa’s thoughts from his mouth. If they were a bit older, he’d take him to a bar. “I think it’s pretty clear your emotions are stemming from (y/n). So what’s up? She’s been with us for years. What changed?”

Oikawa knitted his eyebrows. “She went to Karasuno.” His eyes then widened, realizing he gave voice to a thought he had been keeping suppressed. He expected Iwaizumi to berate him for his comment, but no such admonishment came.

“Well, you knew she was going to have to split off from us at some point.” Iwaizumi looked out the window, as though somewhat saddened by the idea himself.

As the words sank into Oikawa, he muttered, “I guess I just never thought there’d be a time that she wasn’t there.”

Putting his hands on the table, Iwaizumi leaned back. “Man, this is so awkward to talk about.”

“Excuse me, sirs. Your coffee…” the waitress placed the coffee down in front of Iwaizumi, “...and your caramel frappuccino.” She placed a very carefully and beautifully made frappuccino in front of Oikawa. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes as Oikawa gave her a very charming thank you.

As she walked away, Iwaizumi began to blow on his coffee. He took a sip, and said, “Look man, I don’t love the idea of you dating my sister.” Oikawa choked on his frappuccino.

“Dating-”

“If you guys broke up, I’d be caught in the middle. Not to mention any time I hang out with you two, I’d be third-wheeling,” Iwaizumi droned on. “Plus, I’m supposed to protect my little sister from playboys like you.”

“I’m not a-”

“And the thought of you two going off together, doing who knows what, is frankly quite sickening.” Iwaizumi grimaces and tightens his hold of the coffee cup.

Oikawa put his head on the table, defeated. “Could you please get to the point?”

“I’m not gonna stop you either. If that’s what makes the two of you happy, then who am I to stand in your way?” Iwaizumi closed his eyes and took another sip, still looking quite uncomfortable with the subject matter. “Listen. You’re my friend.” Oikawa was shocked to hear Iwaizumi say something so kind. “So just tell it to me straight. Are you interested in (y/n)?” He finished his coffee and waved down the waitress for the bill.

“I’m not… I mean….” Oikawa covered his mouth, mulling over what to say. He really hated that Iwaizumi could force him into such a pathetic state.

Iwaizumi paid the bill and grabbed the receipt that the waitress left on the table. Sure enough, it had her phone number on it. Grumbling, he crumpled it up and stuffed it in his pocket.

“Alright, let’s go home,” Iwaizumi finally said, standing up.

“Huh? Already?” Oikawa had barely touched his frappuccino. He downs as much of it as he can before rising to join his friend, suspicious that the conversation wasn’t truly over yet.

Oikawa walked next to Iwaizumi, who seemed to be thinking things over himself. Oikawa didn’t know what to think about, and yet his mind was buzzing. He had hoped to ignore the feelings he didn’t understand until they went away, not be forced to analyze them. Oikawa’s job was to be in tune with his teammates’ feelings, not his own. Because of that, he was in many ways a stranger to himself; sure, he knows the playful and flirty side of him well, but beneath that outer shell of his was a knot of thoughts and feelings he had left to tangle. One thought would contradict another, and in trying to dissect the knot he found it only grew worse.

Oikawa resisted the urge to rub his eyes. His contacts were starting to bother him. He instead rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to quell the oncoming headache. He no longer bothered to hide how troubled he felt, and Iwaizumi felt a pang of sympathy for his hopeless friend.

“Alright, I’ll take pity on you.” Iwaizumi finally broke the silence. Oikawa gave him a skeptical look, fingers still clasped around the bridge of his nose. “Since you clearly don’t know how you feel, let me ask you something.” Oikawa brought his hand down from his face, his attention adequately caught. “How would you feel if (y/n) started dating someone?”

The image of you being carried flashed again in his mind. Iwaizumi said no more, and Oikawa felt his head spin as they arrived at the bus station. It occurred to him at some point that the boy he saw may have been Nishinoya Yuu, the boy you had mentioned befriending. Why were you even being carried to begin with? They stood in silence until the bus came, and then they stood in silence for the entire bus ride. Oikawa’s thoughts continued to scream over each other, contradicting and muddling each other. However, when he finally took his first step off the bus, his mind cleared.

It didn’t clear because he suddenly found clarity; it may be more accurate to say his mind went blank. Sitting on the bus stop chair in front of him was the boy from earlier; the one he suspected was Nishinoya Yuu. He analyzed him for a moment, telling himself it was because that kid was an opponent’s libero, before getting smacked by Iwaizumi.

Oikawa’s phone goes off in his hand, startling him out of his flashback. Rubbing his eyes, he sits up and turns down his music. The notification on his screen gives him pause, and he takes one of his earbuds out. He squints at it for a moment, then feels around for his glasses in the dark. After a second, he feels the hard plastic brush against his fingers and slips them on, narrowing his eyes at a large smudge on his left lens.

Finally getting a better look at his phone screen, Oikawa realizes it’s from you. He reads over it a couple times, making sure he’s seeing right.

“How the hell did she sprain her ankle?” he mutters to himself, a spot of concern finding itself in his chest. After a moment, Oikawa connects the dots. Nishinoya was carrying you because you couldn’t walk, not because of whatever other reason Oikawa was imagining. A small moment of relief greets him before he texts you back, asking how bad it is. After sending it, Oikawa begins to consider his feeling of relief. He clicks his tongue, wondering if Iwaizumi was right. Thinking about you dating someone else pisses him off a bit.

Oikawa runs an angry hand through his hair. Having a crush is already bad; having a crush on you is the worst case scenario. As Iwaizumi had said, any relationship would throw the group dynamic out the window. Additionally, he rationalizes, such a distraction from volleyball and school would undoubtedly hurt his performance. Maybe watching you date someone else would help him stop feeling anything for you. Thinking about it from that angle, though, just makes him feel worse.

“Argh! Whatever!” Oikawa tosses his glasses on the nightstand, deciding to think about it in the morning. It’s doubtful he’s getting much sleep tonight, though.

You sit on your bed, also deep in thought. Your mom had interrogated you about Nishinoya and, even more mortifying, you’re sure your brother overheard. You noticed that Iwaizumi also had a lot on his mind, judging by the way he quickly and quietly locked himself in his room. Although you can’t quite get Nishinoya out of your head, another thought has been bothering you ever since it sunk in that you wouldn’t be able to adequately walk for a while. You glance over at a volleyball in a corner of your room, chewing on your lip in thought. You won’t be able to practice volleyball with Iwaizumi or Oikawa for a while. It’s not exactly a passion of yours, but it’s one of your few hobbies.

Carefully raising your bad leg onto your bed, you ponder how to fill your time until it’s healed. You wince as you situate your leg. Before now, it hadn’t really occurred to you that you didn’t have a strong love for volleyball; it’s just another instance of you happily following Oikawa and your brother in their endeavors. This is as good an opportunity as any to look for a new hobby.

“Oh, that’s right.” Gritting your teeth, you rise from your bed. Leaning on your dresser, you make your way to the pile of clothes you were wearing earlier that day. You dig through the pockets of your shorts until your finger brushes against rough paper. Pulling it out, you think about the woman - Terada Kyouko, you recall as you read the card - who offered you free violin lessons. You had never really tried your hand at music, but you suppose you don’t need to stand to practice violin. You decide to call in the morning, placing the card on your nightstand as you cautiously bring yourself back to your bed.

You also think to text Amori to make sure she’s okay. When you ask about her wellbeing, though, she texts back “You sprain your foot and you’re worried because I went home early?” As always, she’s standoffish, but you can tell she’s worried for you. You spend some time texting people (namely Oikawa, Tanaka, and Amori) to update them on the situation, before shutting your phone off and laying back onto your pillow. As you close your eyes, you remember the warmth of Nishinoya’s back as he carried you home, feeling heat rise to your face.

You try to stop thinking about it so you can sleep, but you’re almost unable to break from thinking about him - almost. A single memory is able to derail the train of thoughts known as the Nishinoya Express. You’re not entirely sure what triggered it - maybe it’s your willful desire to think about something else, maybe it’s because you’re in the same room as you were back then - but recalling Oikawa’s arms wrapping around you causes something in your mind to buffer. Suddenly, your mind stagnates as you roll over, embarrassed at your own thoughts.

You let out a small squeak of pain as you roll, having momentarily forgotten about your ankle. Groaning into your pillow, you resolve yourself to sleeping. This is future (y/n)’s problem, you tell yourself, trying to release the tension rampant in your body.

You expect to have complicated dreams involving Oikawa and Nishinoya, but you instead wake up multiple times throughout the night in a cold sweat. The image of an oncoming bus haunts you. Sometimes, the bus comes barreling towards you, and you wake up with a yelp when it hits you. Other times, you see the bus coming towards the little boy, and when you move to save him, you can’t move your left leg. Those dreams are the worst; you’d watch as the child was run over, helpless. It was graphic, but you can’t look anywhere else, trapped in your dream. You wake from those dreams crying.

Around 4am, after waking up in tears again, you hear a knock at your door.

“(y/n), it’s me.” Iwaizumi’s voice startles you in your jittery state before you relax.

“Come in,” you weakly call back, trying to get your voice under control.

He opens the door, and as you get up he puts out his hand. “Don’t move, you’ll hurt yourself.” He turns on a lamp to give the room dim light. “Are you doing okay? I heard you from my room.”

“Yeah, just some nightmares.” You smile wearily as you wipe your eyes. “No need to worry.”

Grabbing a chair, your brother asks, “Wanna talk about it?” He looks calm, but you can tell he’s worried.

You sit up in spite of your brother’s protests, grabbing a pillow and hugging it. “Not really. I just had a stressful day, I suppose.”

Iwaizumi furrows his brows, throwing one leg up over the other. He crosses his arms and leans back, ready to have his second serious talk of the day, although he’s more gentle with you than he was with Oikawa. “Talk to me, kiddo.” You roll your eyes at the nickname. “I know you don’t talk to anyone else about your problems. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you haven’t known your new friends long enough to vent to them, and mom… isn’t the most tactful.” You squeeze your pillow tighter as he goes on. “As for Oikawa… well, let’s just say I’ve noticed things have been weird between the two of you lately.” You nod, not saying anything and avoiding eye contact. The emotional strife of your dreams still hasn’t left, and being reminded of your awkward relationship with Oikawa isn’t helping. “I’m not gonna beat it out of you, but I’m here if you need me.” You remain quiet, eyes distant. Iwaizumi sighs and stands up, walking towards the door. “Try to get some sleep, okay?”

As he reaches for the door handle, you squeeze your eyes shut and whisper, “Wait.” You’re unsure if he heard you, but when you open your eyes, Iwaizumi is looking at you, halted. Once again looking away, you murmur, “I… wanna talk.”

Iwaizumi raises his eyes for a second then smiles softly. He takes a seat again, and you spend the night telling him about the bus (which, evidently, your mother didn’t bother to tell him) and the accompanying dreams. If he was honest, Iwaizumi is just glad that he isn’t talking to you about Oikawa. Acting as a middle man for the two of you might actually kill him. Instead, he comforts you, doing his best to make you feel better, even if he is a little new to emotional support. Within an hour, you’re asleep, and Iwaizumi returns to his room, exhausted.

“What a long day…” he mutters to himself. It’s a sentiment shared by you and Oikawa. He makes a mental note to check in with his best friend in the morning, before drifting off to sleep himself, knowing there would be many more long days to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized Ao3 formatting doesn't keep my Google doc italics so I'm gonna have to go back to earlier chapters and fix that.
> 
> Hey guys! Sorry for the shorter chapter. I feel like this one was a little all over the place but I hope you like it nonetheless. When I wrote that reader sprained her ankle I didn't entirely think about the repercussions that would follow her throughout the story. I just wanted a cute piggyback scene :(
> 
> Anyway, thanks again for reading! I'll try to continue to improve as I continue the story, so stay tuned!


	7. Chapter 7

Laying on your bed, you flip lazily through a magazine you’ve read through several times. Across the room is a book you’ve been wanting to read, but standing up is more pain that it’s worth. You’re skipping school today on doctor’s orders: you’d gone into the hospital on Sunday, and now you’re spending your Monday recovering. You’ll return to school tomorrow - normally you’d walk, but the bus seems like your best choice right now - so you’ve spent the day studying. Simply put, it’s been a long and boring day, leaving you plenty of time with your thoughts.

Largely, you go back and forth with your emotions, unsure of how you’ll face Nishinoya tomorrow. You can’t stop thinking about being pressed closely to his back and the bright red glow of his ears. Part of you believes that he may have been just as embarrassed as you, but maybe his face was red from the exhaustion of carrying another person. That would also explain why his heart beat so hard you could feel it through his back and shirt. At this point, you drop your head into your magazine to keep your imagination from running wild.

You lift your head when you hear your phone go off. You reach for it, reading the text from Amori displayed on the screen.

**Hey. I know I said I’d bring you today’s class materials but something came up. Nishinoya-san said he’d drop them off after practice. Sorry about that.**

You pout as you respond, telling her not to worry about it. You had hoped to ask her why she left so suddenly over the weekend, but it’ll have to wait. Glancing at the clock on your phone, you wonder what came up with Amori. School ended a few minutes ago, so whatever came up must have been short notice. You take a moment to worry for your friend, but you don’t bother to ask, knowing you won’t get a straight answer. You don’t know exactly when volleyball practice ends, but if your brother and Oikawa’s practice is anything to go by, then you still have a few hours.

Your stomach grumbles, reminding you that you haven’t eaten all day. Groaning, you carefully sit up in your bed, keeping a hand around your ankle. The brace the doctor gave you does a good job of keeping it in place, but you still grimace at the thought of walking. Still, you’d have to be able to manage by tomorrow, so you slowly step down, wincing as you put some weight on it. Hugging the wall, you limp to the door. The brace has seriously helped the pain, you find, and walking is mostly doable.

Stumbling out into your living room, you pause for a break at the couch. You realize you left your phone in your room, but it’s too late to turn back now, so you just hope you don’t fall like you’re in a LifeAlert commercial. After a few moments’ respite, you push yourself back to your feet and make your way into the kitchen. 

Oikawa whistles to himself as he walks down the sidewalk leading to your house, swinging the house key Iwaizumi gave him around his finger. He always takes Mondays off practice to study and do homework, so Iwaizumi sent him ahead to keep an eye on you and help you out.

“And remember to knock if she’s in her room,” Iwaizumi had added coldly. Oikawa couldn’t even retort, given what happened last time he didn’t knock, so he decided to behave and do as told. He notices that he’s making good time and realizes that his pace has been quickened. His lips pull back into a weary smile.

“I didn’t realize I was in such a rush,” Oikawa mutters to himself. He’s been monitoring his emotions closely since his conversation with Iwaizumi in the cafe. Despite his vehement insistence that he was not, in fact, romantically interested in his best friend’s sister, his actions are starting to tell a different story. Regardless, Oikawa tells himself, he’s not going to do anything about it. As Iwaizumi had pointed out, a relationship with you would throw the entire dynamic out of whack, and a break up would end in disaster.

So, Oikawa had decided to continue to keep a close eye on his emotions in order to keep them in check. Besides, he continues to rationalize, it could be nothing. Maybe the weather is affecting his thoughts. “Yeah,” he says, looking up at the clear blue sky as he makes his way to your door, “the weather.”

However, the emotions he had only just resolved to control catch him off guard as he unlocks and opens the door. He blinks at you, standing in front of the counter, slicing up tomatoes.

“What the hell are you doing?” Oikawa is barely able to keep himself from yelling. You jump at his voice, having expected it to be your parents or Iwaizumi coming home early.

“O-Oikawa-san?” you stammer, looking behind you at the flabbergasted man. “What are you doing here?”

Closing the door, Oikawa furrows his brows. “I asked you first. What are you doing standing up?” He walks towards you, anger he normally hides flaring up in his eyes.

You shrug, pulling back a little. “I was hungry, so I’m making a sandwich.”

Oikawa drops his school bag to the floor as he takes a step closer. “Go sit down, you shouldn’t be on your foot right now. I’ll finish this up.” He gestures to the sandwich.

“Oh, it’s okay,” you reply, not wanting him to worry. “I’m already here, so-”

“Guess we’re doing this the hard way,” Oikawa sighs. Before you can react, Oikawa has slung you over his shoulder. “Seriously, you’re gonna hurt yourself.”

You squirm around before realizing that falling would do you no good, so you just yell, “Put me down, Shittykawa!”

“Jeez, you really are Iwa-chan’s sister.”

You stop flailing, giving into your situation and trying not to think too hard about his arm tightly holding you, or his subtle, yet pleasantly cinnamon cologne, or the feeling of the muscles on his back under your palms. This entire scenario feels offensively familiar, and yet entirely different and new. “Seriously, I’m fine!” you whine. “Let me go!” You dangle helplessly, trying to cover your blush even though he can’t see your face.

He carries you around the counter and back to the couch, feeling upset by your words and glad you can’t see his expression. Carefully setting you down, he turns and mutters, “So he can carry you and I can’t?” As the words escape his mouth, his eyes widen and flick back to you, hoping you didn’t catch that.

Based on your reaction, though, as well as your still red face, he realizes you definitely did. “Um, what do you mean by-”

He cuts you off and says, “Anyway, what did you want on your sandwich?” Suddenly, Oikawa’s cheery facade is back. “You were cutting tomatoes, so maybe a BLT?”

You raise a brow, very confused by what’s going on. Your heart still has yet to calm down. Pulling your leg carefully up onto the couch, you ask, “What’s going on, Oikawa-san? Why are you here?”

He grins, pulling out the house key. “Isn’t it obvious? Iwa-chan sent me here to check on you since I don’t practice on Mondays anyway. He wanted me to help you out, and...” he looks down at you, eyebrows raised, “I’m glad I came, since you were doing something stupid.”

Raising your shoulders and looking away, you grumble, “I didn’t think making a sandwich was stupid. I’m hungry.”

Oikawa throws his hands up. “Yeah, yeah, I know, so I’ll go make your sandwich for you, princess.”

You shudder and scrunch up your nose in disgust. “Please, never call me that again. I’m not one of your fangirls.”

“You got it, princess.” You stare at his back, dumbfounded, as he returns to the kitchen. Running an exasperated hand through your hair, you give up and lean back on the couch. You reach into your pocket for your phone before remembering you left it in your room. You think about going to grab it, but you know you can’t handle a second round of being carried. If he calls you princess again, you might just scream.

That gives you an idea. “Oikawa-saaaaan?” you call. “Could you get my phone for me? I left it in my room.”

Looking over the counter, he quickly replies, “Yeah, sure thing.” Pleased that you’re finally letting him help, he walks to your room to grab it. Glancing around, he sees your phone, but a magazine on your bed catches his eye. Picking it up by the corner, he examines it, noting that it’s a copy of _Volleyball Monthly_ from last year. He smiles to himself, remembering the interview he had for this issue. Three of the pages have bent corners, so Oikawa flips ahead to see what you marked. The first is a page dedicated to Aoba Johsai, with multiple shots of a first year Iwaizumi spiking. A couple of the pictures have Oikawa in the background, but most glory shots are taken by spikers. He checks the next marked page, smiling softly at what he sees. Under the heading “Up and Coming Setters,” there’s an action shot of Oikawa with his hands above his head, eyes trained on the volleyball just above his head. It’s a good picture, Oikawa admits, but of course, what picture of him isn’t? He skims through his interview, reminiscing.

Finally, he turns to the last marked page, and his smile drops. Atop the page, it reads “Middle School Potential,” with a large section praising Nishinoya Yuu as a promising libero. When Oikawa first read the issue last year, he hadn’t given much thought to the pages about schools other than Aoba Johsai. Now that he’s taking a good look at Nishinoya’s photograph, he remembers playing a game against him back in middle school. Oikawa recalls that the game against Chidoriyama was especially challenging due to their libero’s skill, and he can feel his attitude towards Nishinoya souring even more.

“Oikawa-saaaaan?” you yell from the living room. “You’re not looking through my texts, are you?”

Oikawa returns the magazine to its place, but not before unfolding the corner marking the page. He takes your phone, calling back, “Sorry, it took me a sec to find it!”

He comes out, handing you your phone and returning to the kitchen. Holding your phone over your mouth to hide your smirk, you wait for him to get back to the kitchen before continuing your plot.

Once he’s behind the counter, you call out, “Oikawa-saaaaan?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you bring me some lemonade? I haven’t had anything to drink all day.” Oikawa hums in response, and a few moments later he hands you a glass of lemonade, raising a brow when you can’t hide your smile. You take it without a word, beaming the whole time. You again watch him with steady eyes as he returns to the kitchen.

“Oikawa-saaaaaan?”

A much less enthused “Yes?” reaches you from the kitchen.

“The sun is in my eyes. Could you close the blinds for me?” At this point, it’s quite clear to Oikawa what you’re trying to do. He stiffly returns, watching you with lowered eyelids and down-turned lips. You continue to grin back. He closes the blinds and retreats to the kitchen.

He’s able to finally finish your sandwich before you call for him once more. Hearing you call out his name so many times is really starting to get to him, so he takes the sandwich and marches back to you.

“What is it this time?” he asks. You gulp. Oikawa comes close, practically leaning over you. You blink up at him, caught off guard. “Did you want me to feed you, too? Hmm? _Princess?_ ”

Your eyes flick about, trying to look anywhere but at Oikawa. If you were to actually meet his eyes, you would see the touch of red gracing his handsome face, but instead you try to hide your own blush.

“I was, uh, just going to ask you to, uh….”

“Ask me to what?” His voice comes out lower this time, with a light rasp.

You continue to stutter, grasping for an answer. You panic, taken completely by surprise by this situation. Sure, you were teasing him, but you hadn’t expected this. You hadn’t expected to end up trapped, curled up in the corner of the couch, Oikawa’s hand propped up behind you and his knee next to you, brushing your leg.

A loud knock comes at the door. Both of you immediately turn your head too look at it, and the sound snaps Oikawa out of it. Blinking at the door then back at you, he stands up, looking away. You place your hand over your beating heart, still processing. You watch the back of Oikawa’s head, waiting for him to move.

“I’ll… go see who it is,” Oikawa mutters, still looking away. You nod, emotions still racing.

The person at the door knocks again and Oikawa saunters over. Pulling at the handle, he opens the boy to a short boy still in his Karasuno volleyball uniform. Oikawa raises a brow with a scowl. “Can I help you?”

Leaning over to see around Oikawa, you grin at Nishinoya, who gives you a small wave. Nishinoya looks up at Oikawa, and confidently says, “You must be (y/n)-san’s brother, Iwaizumi-san, right? It’s nice to meet you!”

Oikawa scoffs. “Not quite, squirt. I’m a… close family friend.” He stays in the doorway, largely blocking your view of Nishinoya.

“Oh! Oikawa-san then?” Nishinoya tries again. “(y/n)-san talks about you a lot.”

Oikawa cocks his head to the side. “Is that so..? Anyway, what do you need?”

Nishinoya hesitates, put off by Oikawa’s behavior, before pushing on. “I brought (y/n)-san the class materials. Mind if I had them off to her?”

“I can take them for her,” Oikawa responds coldly, holding out his hand. Nishinoya gives him a doubtful look, rocking his head back a little.

“Come on in, Noya-san!” Your voice stretches over Oikawa who reluctantly moves aside to let Nishinoya in. You pretend not to notice Oikawa’s sour attitude, instead giving your attention to Nishinoya.

Nishinoya enters the house, keeping an eye trained suspiciously on Oikawa, before stopping in front of you and reaching into his bag. He hands you the papers from class as Oikawa closes the door with a bit of force. You side eye him then smile at Nishinoya.

“Isn’t a little early for practice to be over?” It’s much easier to talk to him than you’d worried. In fact, you feel a bit warm upon seeing him. Despite his high energy, you find that Nishinoya has a calming presence.

He shrugs, a proud grin on his face. “Coach said I was doing so well that I could go home early.” You give him a doubtful look and he goes from cocky to sheepish. “Well, that and I pestered him into letting me leave.”

You laugh brightly, feeling refreshed and relaxed; a noticeable difference from a few minutes prior. In the back of your mind, you know you’ll have a lot of thoughts to sort out when you’re alone, but you’re starting to get used to that, so you decide to simply go with the flow for now.

“Do you wanna stay for a while?” you ask. “I might have questions about some of the stuff I missed.”

Nishinoya scratches the back of his neck. “Hm, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but… I kind of fell asleep in class, so I don’t really know what we were taught.” Oikawa’s chest clenches at Nishinoya’s next line: “I guess it’s hard for me to stay awake when you’re not there to keep me company.”

Oikawa resists the urge to shoo him out, knowing you wouldn’t respond kindly to it, so he instead sits on the opposite end of the couch, watching Nishinoya closely. Nishinoya, still standing in front of you, feels a cold sweat on his back, fully aware that he isn’t welcomed by family friend Oikawa Tooru. Even you can feel the odd tension in the air, but you attribute it to volleyball rivalry. You just wish your brother would show up to lighten up the atmosphere.

All three of you are painfully aware of the heavy awkwardness hanging in the room, but you’re surprised when Nishinoya is the first to acknowledge it. “Oikawa-san,” he says bluntly, now looking down at Oikawa, “do you have a problem with me?”

Oikawa takes a moment to respond, not ready for such a forward question. Then he sneers, resting his face on the hand propped up on the arm of the couch. “Who knows? Maybe I do.”

You give him a sharp look that screams “What’s with you today?” before Nishinoya continues. “I won’t stick around where I’m not wanted. (y/n)-san, I’ll text you later and maybe we can set up a time to study together. With fewer people around.” You’d never seen Nishinoya so miffed; he’s not quite what you’d call angry, but it’s clear that he doesn’t like Oikawa. Of course, given the way he’s being treated, you can’t blame him. Even you’re getting quite upset with Oikawa.

You nod to him. “I apologize for my brother’s friend. I’d walk you to the door, but….”

Nishinoya’s regular grin returns to his face. “No worries, don’t stand up. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah!”

As he closes the door behind him, your strained smile drops as you glare at Oikawa. For a moment you look for something to say, then give up and stand to return to your room. As you make it to your feet, trying not to show the pain in your face, Oikawa also gets up.

“Hey, don’t push yourself-”

“You’re really not in a position to baby me,” you snap. “What the hell was that? What’s wrong with you? He came over to help me and you treated him like an intrusive solicitor!” Gaining control of your emotions, you sigh, “I’m going to my room. Don’t bother me for a while.”

“(y/n)-chan, I-”

“I said don’t bother me!” You limp back to your room, each pained step stabbing holes in Oikawa’s chest. When he hears your door slam from around the corner, he flops back onto the couch, feeling pathetic.

Running a hand through his hair, he mutters to himself, “Why am I such an idiot?” The quiet house offers no response. After a few moments of silence, he gets up and starts rummaging through your family’s pantry. Your parents often bought food with him in mind since he was over so frequently, but today he doesn’t see the milk bread with his name written on the packaging in sharpie. Just another way his day has been made worse.

The door opens again, this time revealing Iwaizumi. “I’m home,” he calls absently, before seeing Oikawa standing in front of the open pantry, sulking. “What’s with you? Oh, (y/n) didn’t buy lunch at school so there’s no milk bread today.”

“...What?” Oikawa processes Iwaizumi’s words. “I didn’t know she was the one who was buying them. She even bought them while we were fighting….” He gulps. “I don’t know if she’ll keep… never mind.”

His last remark raises a red flag to Iwaizumi. “Did you guys get in a fight again?” He furrows his brows when Oikawa looks away. “What did you do?”

“...Oh my god.” Iwaizumi stares at Oikawa after being filled in on the situation. “You’re kidding me, right? This is a shitty joke, right?” Oikawa shakes his head. “Christ. You are so immature. I’m gonna go check on her.”

“What should I do?” Oikawa asks, only to be met with the thousandth cold stare he’s gotten today.

“Go home.” Iwaizumi shakes his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose with exasperated breath. “I think you’ve done enough for one day. I can take care of things from here.” His words are a knee to Oikawa’s gut, the final blow after a long beating. He hangs his head.

“Right. You’re right.” Oikawa leaves without another word, cursing Iwaizumi, Nishinoya, and most of all, himself. If he had just stayed in control like he had initially planned, none of this would have happened. He’s not even sure what happened; it was all downhill after that damn tiny libero showed up. If he hadn’t come, then -

Then what? He had been standing over you, caused your face to turn beat red, teased you and called you princess. How would he have proceeded if Nishinoya hadn’t interrupted him? Even Oikawa is unsure of the answer, and the question joins the other thoughts weighing so heavily upon him.

Oikawa wishes he could erase today and merely pretend it didn’t happen. He wants to pretend he never saw Nishinoya, never made you angry, never realized who had been buying the milk bread.

Never saw that cute flustered expression? The part of his mind he’s been trying to silence speaks up, and he stops mid stride on the sidewalk to yell, “Dammit, Shittykawa, get a hold of yourself!” Passersby give him weird looks as he slaps his cheeks. It’s going to be pretty hard to deny any romantic interest in you at this point, he realizes. He also realizes that if he wants to do anything about his feelings, he just made it a lot harder for himself. Not to mention Iwaizumi’s reaction; if his best friend wasn’t going to help him before, he sure as hell isn’t now.

When he gets home, he pulls out his phone to text you.

**Hey, I’m really sorry about today**

Backspace, delete.

**What I did was really uncalled for, please apologize to your friend for me**

He cringes. Backspace, delete.

**I want to apologize for today. I just felt really upset because you seemed to like him so much more than me and I saw him carrying you and you didn’t want me to carry you and you seemed so much happier to see him than me and I didn’t know how to handle that because I actually kind of like you**

“God, this is so stupid!” Oikawa cries. He knows he’ll be better off apologizing in person, but he feels so awful that he just wants to resolve it now. He sighs and goes to delete the message, then freezes.

The text has already been sent.

His heart begins to race with panic. He tries to think of a way to take back what he said but a “jk lol” isn’t going to fix this.

His phone vibrates. Oikawa hesitantly opens the text.

Iwaizumi stares at the confession on his phone, wanting to gag. He looks up from your desk chair to you laying on your bed, arm over your eyes. He shakes his head and responds to Oikawa.

**Wrong Iwaizumi, dumbass.**

After sending it and setting his phone aside, Iwaizumi speaks up. “You doing okay?”

“No,” you grunt. “I’m… tired.” Sitting up, you give your brother a sad look. “You’re his best friend. Can you tell me what’s going on in that hot air-filled head of his?”

Iwaizumi glances at his phone. “Oikawa is… going through something right now. The third years are putting a lot of pressure on him. I think they want him to be captain next year. You said that kid, Nishinoya, is on your school’s volleyball team, right?” You nod. “That probably brought back a lot of the stress.” Iwaizumi flawlessly covers for his friend, already thinking about how he’ll get Oikawa to pay him back.

“That still doesn’t explain why he….” You gulp as you feel the blood rush to your face. “...Never mind.”

Iwaizumi is suspicious of your reaction, but doesn’t pry. “You have your first violin lesson this weekend, right?”

The sudden change of subject breaks your train of thought. “Oh. Uh, yeah. I’m kinda looking forward to it.”

Iwaizumi nods slowly. “I’m happy you’re looking into new hobbies.” You cock your head to the side, waiting for him to go on. “You told me before that you felt like you’ve always been following Oikawa and me around. We even dragged you into practicing volleyball with us, but you never seemed especially enthused by it.”

You shrug. “I enjoy volleyball. I probably would have liked it more if I had a team to join… but it was never my passion.” You lean back on your bed, thinking. “I don’t know if this will be either, but I might as well try it.” The two of you sit in comfortable silence. You pull the magazine over and flip to the page with Oikawa. Iwaizumi watches your expression carefully, unsure what to make of it. “Hey, nii-san?” You clasp your hands together and twiddle your thumbs nervously. “What does Oikawa-san think of me? I’m mad at him, but I don’t want him to hate me.” You remember the sensation of being lifted over his shoulder, feeling your emotions becoming even more clouded.

For a split second, Iwaizumi plays with the idea of showing you the text Oikawa sent to him with you in mind, but he quickly decides to have mercy on his friend. He takes a deep sigh before beginning. “There’s a lot on his mind right now. I think that’s something you should ask him.” Your gaze remains locked on Oikawa’s page, and Iwaizumi can tell your answer isn’t satisfying. “But I can guarantee that guy doesn’t hate you. I don’t think he could ever hate you.”

You smile softly, feeling a little better. “Thanks, nii-san.” Grabbing the papers Nishinoya brought you, you sigh dramatically and say, “Well, I suppose I should get started on this, huh?”

Iwaizumi stands. “I’ll leave you to it, then.” You wave as he leaves the room, and then you try to put all of your focus towards your work. After about a half hour, you get a text. Half hoping it’s Oikawa texting to apologize, you grab it, only to read Nishinoya’s name on the screen. His message, however, makes you forget all about Oikawa for the moment.

**Study date?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the delay! I'll also try to update again by Friday night. I'm finally done with Calc 3 so now all I have to do is my part-time job and writing fan fiction. Additional note: Don't take Calc 3 if you can avoid it.
> 
> I hope some of the content of this chapter makes up for my absence. As always, if you wanna reach out to me to talk about Haikyuu or anything else at all, please contact me! I'm an extreme extrovert and I wanna talk to more people.
> 
> Discord: Monochrome#9826  
> Email: Danamosaurus@gmail.com


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